Acids, Bases, and Salts

July 14, 2020
Basic Science 
Author: Naivedya Moondra

Introduction

Elements combine with other elements to form a compound. Compounds can be classified into three types:

  1. Acids
  2. Bases
  3. Salts

We are going to learn in detail about these compounds in this blog.

Acids:

We have heard a lot about getting burns if we touch Harpic or other toilet cleaners. But have you ever wondered why? It is because toilet cleaners have a certain amount of acids in them.

What are acids?

The word ‘acid’ comes from the Latin word called ‘acidus’ which means sour.

Acids are defined as chemical elements that can be dissolved in water to produce a sour, corrosive solution that releases Hydrogen (H+) ions.

Acids all have Hydrogen as one of their elements. Conversely, a compound cannot be acid if it does not have Hydrogen as one of its constituent elements.

The concentration of an acid is the number of acid ions present in a certain amount of solvent. If an acid has a lesser amount of solvent, it is called a concentrated acid. If it has a larger amount of solvent, it is called a dilute acid. Some examples of acids are:

  • Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4)
  • Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)
  • Carbonic Acid(H2CO3)

Properties of Acids:

  1. Acids are sour to taste.
  2. They are corrosive in nature.
  3. When dissolved in water, they conduct electricity.
  4. They react with metals to release Hydrogen (H2) gas.
  5. They react with bases to produce salt and water.

Reaction with Metals:

As we have learned, an acid reacts with a metal to release Hydrogen (H2) gas.

For example, Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4) reacts with iron (Fe) to release Iron Sulphate (FeSO4) and Hydrogen gas (H2).

Reaction of acids with metals
Reaction of acids with metals

There are many more examples like this. I hope you all have understood and am moving on.

Bases

Have you ever wondered what soaps are made of? They are made of bases. But this does not answer the basic question. What is the base?

A Base is a chemical substance that releases hydroxide ions (OH−) when dissolved in water.

Now, many of us have heard about Alkalis. Many bases are insoluble – they do not dissolve in water. However, if a base does dissolve in water, we also call it an alkali. For example – Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) et cetera.

Properties of Bases:

  1. They are bitter in taste.
  2. They feel slippery.
  3. When dissolved in water, they can conduct electricity.
  4. They react with acids to release salt and water.

Neutralization Reaction

In chemistry, a neutralization reaction is when an acid and a base react with each other to release salt and water. They basically neutralize each other i.e.; the resultant solution is neither basic nor acidic.

The general form of a neutralization reaction is:

Acid-Base neutralization reaction
Acid-Base neutralization reaction

For example,

Indicators:

Just before we go to the next topic, I want to discuss Indicators. This is because the knowledge of Indicators is essential for the next section.

An Indicator is a chemical substance that undergoes a sharp change in color when exposed to different types of solutions.

These substances are important because they tell us the nature of a substance, i.e. they tell us if the given solution is acidic or basic in nature. 

  • Some indicators occur naturally. For example- Red cabbage, Turmeric, Grape juice et cetera.
  • Some indicators are synthetically made. For example- Methyl Orange, Phenolphthalein, Litmus et cetera. 

Let’s move on…

The reaction of Acids and Bases with Indicators

This is a table containing the color change of some indicators: 

Reaction of Acids and Bases with Indicators
Reaction of Acids and Bases with Indicators

Salts

Salt is a compound formed when an acid and a base neutralize each other. Conversely, a salt is formed when an acid and a base neutralize each other.

Some examples of salts are:

There are many more examples of salts in your daily life.

I hope you all have understood this blog. I shall now take your leave. Thank you! 🙂