Acid and Base
Acid and Base
Introduction
→ The sour and bitter tastes of food are due to acids and bases are present in them.
→ Acids are sour in taste and change the colour of blue litmus to red.
→ Litmus solution is a purple dye, which is extracted from lichen. When the litmus solution is neither acidic nor basic, its
colour is purple.
→ Other natural materials like red cabbage leaves, turmeric, coloured petals of some flowers such as Hydrangea,
Petunia and Geranium, which indicate the presence of acid or base in a solution.
Properties of Acids
• The term ‘acid’ has been derived from the Latin word, 'acidus' which means sour.
• Acids have sour taste.
• They turn blue litmus solution red.
• They give H+ ions in aqueous solution.
Properties of Bases
• These are the substances which are bitter in taste and soapy in touch.
• They turn red litmus solution blue.
• They give OH- ions in aqueous solution.
Indicators: Substances which change their colour/smell in different types of substances (like acids and bases).
Types of Indicators:
(i) Natural indicators
(ii) Synthetic indicators
(iii) Olfactory indicators
(i) Natural indicators: Found in nature in plants. Examples: Litmus, red cabbage leaves extract, flowers of
hydrangea plant, turmeric.
(ii) Synthetic indicators: These are chemical substances. Examples: Methyl orange, phenolphthalein.
(iii) Olfactory indicators: These substances have different odour in acid and bases.
• Acids react with metal to form metal salt and releases Hydrogen Gas.
Acid + Metal → Salt + Hydrogen Gas
• Example: Zinc granules react with dilute Hydrochloric acid in a test tube.
2HCl + Zn → ZnCl2 + H2
• Bases react with metal to evolve hydrogen Gas. Also, note that all metals do not react with bases. The metal must be
more reactive than the metals present in the base for the reaction to take place.
Base + Metal → Salt + Hydrogen gas
• Example: Zinc granules react with NaOH solution to form sodium zincate and evolve hydrogen gas.
2NaOH + Zn → Na2ZnO2 + H2
• Hydrogen gas released can be tested by bringing burning candle near gas bubbles, it burst with pop sound.
• Acids reacts with Metal Carbonates and Metal Hsydrogencarbonates to form Salt, Carbon dioxide and water.
Metal carbonate/Metal hydrogen carbonate + Acid → Salt + Carbon dioxide + Water
CO2 can be tested by passing it through lime water. It turns lime water milky.
Ca(OH)2 + CO2 → CaCO3 + H2O
• When excess CO2 is passed, milkiness disappears.
CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O → Ca(HCO)3
• Bases do not react with Metal Carbonates and Metal Hsydrogencarbonates.
Reaction of Acid
Reaction Of Base
→ While diluting acids, it is recommended that the acid should be added to water and not water to acid
because the process of dissolving a acid or a base in water is highly exothermic.
→ pH Scale: A scale for measuring H+ ion concentration in a solution. p in pH stands for ‘potenz’ a German
word which means power.