Acids and bases

Acids and bases play an important role in the chemistry of living organisms. Many industrial processes also use acids and bases. In this module you will learn about the properties of acids and bases, pH and electrolytes.

Properties of acids and bases

The table below contrasts between acids and bases:

	Acids	Bases
Formation of acids and bases	Acids are formed from the reaction of nonmetal oxides with water. eg: carbonic acid is formed by reacting carbon dioxide with water. CO2 (g) + H2O (l) H2CO3 (aq)	Bases such as LiOH, NaOH, KOH, RbOH and CsOH can be made by reacting the corresponding alkali metals with water. eg: 2 Li (s) + H2O (l) 2 LiOH (aq) + H2 (g) Metal oxides also react with water to form bases. eg: Na2O (s) + H2O (l) 2 NaOH (aq)
Taste	Sour household vinegar (acetic acid) lemon juice, orange juice or citrus fruit juices (citric acid) Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) Coca-Cola (contains phosphoric acid)	Bitter Milk of Magnesia (magnesium hydroxide) Maalox antacid (Magnesium hydroxide and aluminum hydroxide)
Feel	concentrated acids can cause skin burn; care should be taken when handling acids	concentrated bases can cause skin burn; care should be taken when handling bases; bases often feel slippery or soapy;
Reaction to Litmus Paper	turn blue litmus paper red	turn red litmus paper blue
Reactions	React with bases to form salt and water (i.e. neutralization reaction) React with metals such as magnesium, zinc, iron to produce hydrogen gas, H2 (g).	React with acids to form salt and water (i.e. neutralization reaction)
Examples	car battery (sulfuric acid) stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) carbonate water (carbonic acid)	drain cleaner, oven cleaner (sodium hydroxide) cleaning products (ammonia solution)

Content suitability

BCIT courses: CHEM 0011