Sub: Science Ch: 2 Acids, Bases and Salts Std: X CBSE

 Give two physical characteristics of each acids and bases

 Acids are (i) sour in taste (ii) change the colour of blur litmus to red
 Bases are (i) bitter in taste (ii) change the colour of red litmus to blue

 What are indicators? Name four acid-base indicators and mentio their colour change
 Indicators are the substances which give different colours in acidic or basic solutions.
 Methyl Orange: Gives orange colour with acid solution and yellow colour with base solutions.
 Phenolphthalein: It is colourless in acid solution while it turns into pink colour in base solution.
 Litmus paper: Turns red in acid solution and turns blue in base solution
 Bromothymol blue: Turns blue in base solution and is yellow in acid solution

 What are antacids?

 Antacids are mild alkalies and contain sodium hydrogen carbonate. They are used for getting relief from acidity and
indigestion and sometimes, even headache.
 When taken orally it reacts with hydrochloric acid present in the stomach and reduces its strength. For example Milk of
Magnesia

 What are olfactory indicators?

 Olfactory indicators are substances which have different odour in acid and base solutions. For example vanilla essence
has characteristic pleasant smell in acid solution and no smell in alkali solution.

 Explain the reaction of dilute acid with metals and metal oxides.
 Many metals reacts with dilute acids to give metal salts and hydrogen. The rate of effervescence of hydrogen depends
on the reactivity of the metal.
 The rate of effervescence of hydrogen depends on the reactivity of the metal. Higher rate of efferbescence means higher
reactivity of the given metal.
 The reaction of metals with hydrochloric acid and dilute sulphuric accid are similar. With dilute hydrocloric acid, they
give metal chlorides and hydrogen; with dilute sulphurivc acid, they give metal sulphates and hydrogen.
2Na + 2HCl → 2NaCl + H2 Mg + 2HCl → MgCl2 + H2
Zn + 2HCl → ZnCl2 + H2 Fe + 2HCl → FeCl2 + H2
 In general, Acid + Metal → Salt + Hydrogen gas
 Metal oxides and acids:
 Metal oxides dissolve in dilute acids to give salt and water
Na2O + 2HCl → 2NaCl + H2O MgO + 2HCl → MgCl2 + H2O
CuO + 2HCl → CuCl2 + H2O

 Name the gas evolved when a metal carbonate or metal hydrogen carbonate reacts with acids. Explain the
chemical reation.
 When a metal carbonate or metal hydrogen carbonate reacts with an acid, carbon dioxide gas is evolved. For example,
Na2CO3 + 2HCl → 2NaCl + H2O + CO2
NaHCO3 + HCl → NaCl + H2O + CO2
CaCO3 + 2HCl → CaCl2 + H2O + CO2

Acid Base and Salt Excellent Institute of Education Page | 1

 In general we can write Metal carbonate/Metal hydrogen carbonate + Acid → Salt + Carbon dioxide + Water
 How do metals react with bases?
 Some metals react with bases to form salts. For example, Zinc on warming with sodium hydroxide gives sodium zincate
and hydrogen gas.
Zn + 2NaOH → Na2ZnO2 (Sodium Zincate) + H2

 What is a neutralization reaction? Give some example

 When the effect of a base is nullified by an acid and vice versa, it is called as neutralization reaction. In general, a
neutralization reaction is written as
Base + Acid → Salt + Water
 Aqueous solution of a base, NaOH is neutralized by aqueous hydrochloric acid
NaOH + HCl → NaCl + H2O
 Aqueous solution of sulphuric acid is neutralized by aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide
H2SO4 + 2NaOH → Na2SO4 + 2H2O

 Explain reaction of metallic oxide with acid?

 Metal oxide reacts with water to form salt and water. For eg. CuO + 2HCl → CuCl2 + H2O
 In this reaction CuCl2 produced is of blue-green colour.

 Explain reaction of non-metallic oxide with base?

 Non-metallic oxides in water forms acidic solurion. For example, carbon dioxide in water forms carbonic acid
CO2 + Ca(OH)2 → CaCO3 + 2H2O
 The above reaction is similar to the reaction between a base and an acid, thus we can conclude that nonmetallic oxides
are acidic in nature.

 Why should curd and sour substances should not be kept in brass and copper vessels?
 Curd and sour substances are acidic and acids react with brass and copper. So it should not be kept in brass and copper
vessel.

 When hydrocholic acid is added to marble pieces, a gas (A) is evolved. On passing gas A through lime water, a
white precipitate of (B) is formed. When excess of A is passed, B dissolves due to the formation of soluble C.
Identify A, B and C. Explain the reactions.
 A : Carbon Dioxide B: Calcium carbonate C: Calcium hydrogen carbonate
 Marble is calcium carbonate. It reacts with HCl to give CO2.
CaCO3 + 2HCl → CaCl2 + CO2 (A) + H2O
 CO2 when passed through lime water [Ca(OH)2] gives a white precipitate of CaCO3.
Ca(OH)2 + CO2 → CaCO3 (B) + H2O
 On passing CO2, CaCO3 dissolves forming soluble Ca(HCO3)2
CaCO3 + CO2 → Ca(HCO3)2

 Metal compound A reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to produce efferbescence. The gas evolved extinguishes a
burning candle. Write a balcanced chemical equation for the reaction if one of the compound formed is calcium
chloride.

Acid Base and Salt Excellent Institute of Education Page | 2

 Since the end product is calcium chloride and the gas formed extinguishes a burning candle, it is CO2, the metal
compound A must be calcium carbonate. Hence the reaction is
CaCO3 + HCl → CaCl2 + CO2 + H2O
 What are acids and bases?
 An acid is a substance which dissolves in water to give hydronium ion, H3O+ or H+ ion. A base is a substance which
dissolves in water to give hydroxyl ions, OH-.

 Explain why does dry hydrochloric acid does not conduct electricity but its aqueous solution conducts electricity.
 Electric current flows through the solution by ions. Since dry hydrochloric acid does not give any ions, it does not
conduct current. Whereas in the presence of water, H+ ions and Cl- ions are produced which are responsible for flow of
current.
HCl + H2O → H3O+ + Cl-

 Tap water conducts electricity whereas ditilled water does not. Why?
 Tap water contains some impurities in the forms of salts. Due to presence of salts, it conducts electricity. Distilled water
is free from all kinds of salts and hence does not conduct electricity.

 How are bases different from alkalies. Are all bases alkalies
 Bases generate hydroxide ions in water
For example, NaOH ⎯⎯⎯⎯ Na+ + OH-
Thus, NaOH, KOH and Mg(OH)2 are bases.
 Alkalies are hydroxide of metal which dissolve in water. Thus NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)2 etc are alkalies.
 All bases are not alkalies. For example [Al(OH)3] is a base but it is not fully soluble in water and so it not alkali.pl

 Why do HCl, HNO3 etc., show acidic characters in aqueous solutions while solutions of compounds like alcohol
and glucose do not show acidic charcter?
 H+ ions in aqueous solution are responsible for acidic character. HCl, HNO3 etc generate H+ ions in water while
C2H5OH and glucose do not do so, and hence do not show acidic character.

 Why does an aqueous solution of an acid conduct electricity?

 Acids give ions in aqueous solutions and in solution current is carried through ions. Thus aqueous solution of an acid
conducts electricity

 Why does dry HCl gas does not change the colour if the dry litmus paper?
 Dry HCl gas does not genrate H+ ions and hence does not change the colour of dry litmus paper.

 While diluting an acid, why is it recommended that the acid should be added to water and not water to the acid.
 When an acid is mixed with water, there is evolution of large amount of heat. Therefore, acid is slowly added to water.
If on the other hand, water is added to acid, it might spill on body due to explosion and evolution of sudden heat.

 How is the concentration of hydronium ion is affected when a solution of an acid is diluted?
 When a given amount of an acid is added to water, there are fixed number of hydronium ions per volume of the
solution. On dilution the number of hydronium ion per volume decreases and concentration of hydronium ion decreases.

Acid Base and Salt Excellent Institute of Education Page | 3

 How is the concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-) affected when excess base is dissolved in a solution of sodium
hydroxide?
 The concentration of hydroxide ions will increase when excess base is dissolved in a solution of sodium hydroxide but it
happens to a limited extent only.
 What is a universal indicator?
 An indicator which passes through a series of colour changes over a wide range of H3O+ ion concentration is called
universal indicator.

 What is a pH scale? How is it calibrated?

 pH scale is the scale for measuring hydrogen ion concentration in a solution. pH scale is calibrated from 0 (very acidic)
– 14 (very alkaline). Values less than 7 represents an acidic solution and more than 7 represents an alkaline solution.
Neutral solution has a pH equal to 7.

 What is a pH?
 pH is a number which indicates the acidic or basic nature of a solution. Higher th hydronium ion concntration, lower is
the pH value.
 pH is defined as the negative logarithms of hydronium ion concentration.

 If the pH of a solution is 5, does it mean that the solution has only hydronium ions and no hydroxyl ions.
 In aqueous solution, there are always both H3O+ and OH- ions present. When the pH is less than seven i.e., 5, it means
the solution is acidic and it contains more number of H3O+ ions as compared to OH-.

 What is the pH of neutral water? What does it mean?

 The pH of a neutral water is 7. It means that the concentration of hydronium ions, H3O+ and hydroxyl ions, OH- is
equatl i.e., 10-7 moles per litre.

 Describe the importance of pH in our daily life.

pH in our digestive system
 Our stomach produces hydrochloric acid. It helps in the digestion of food without harming the stomach. During
indigestion the stomach produces too much acid and this causes pain and irritation. To get rid of this pain, people use
bases called antacids.
 These antacids neutralise the excess acid. Magnesium hydroxide (Milk of magnesia), a mild base, is often used for this
purpose.
pH change as the cause of tooth decay
 Tooth decay starts when the pH of the mouth is lower than 5.5. Tooth enamel, made up of calcium phosphate is the
hardest substance in the body.
 It does not dissolve in water, but is corroded when the pH in the mouth is below 5.5. Bacteria present in the mouth
produce acids by degradation of sugar and food particles remaining in the mouth after eating.
 The best way to prevent this is to clean the mouth after eating food. Using toothpastes, which are generally basic, for
cleaning the teeth can neutralise the excess acid and prevent tooth decay.
Soil pH and plant growth
 Most of the plants grow best when the pH of the soil is close to 7. If the soil is too acidi or too basic the plants grow
badly or do not grow at all.
pH change and survival of animals

Acid Base and Salt Excellent Institute of Education Page | 4

 Our body works within the pH range of 7.0 to 7.8. Living organisms can survive only in a narrow range of pH change.
When pH of rain water is less than 5.6, it is called acid rain.
 When acid rain flows into the rivers, it lowers the pH of the river water. The survival of aquatic life in such rivers
becomes difficult.
 Bee-sting leaves an acid which causes pain and irritation. Use of a mild base like baking soda on the stung area gives
relief. Stinging hair of nettle leaves inject methanoic acid causing burning pain.

 Do basic solutions also have H+ ions? If yes than why are they basic?
 Basic solutions have H+ ions, but these are far less in number than OH- ions and that excess of OH- ions counts for
their basic nature.

 Under what soil condition do you think a farmer would treat the soil of his fields with slaked lime (calcium
hydroxide), chalk (calcium carbonate), quick lime (calcium oxide)
 Plants work well in the pH range 6 – 8. So when the soil becomes acidic, farmers treat the soil fields with bases like
quick lime or slaked lime.

 How are salts formed? What determines their pH value in aqueous solutions?
 Salts are formed by combination of acids and bases. For example salt of sodium sulphate, Na2SO4 is formed by reaction
of sulphuric acid with sodium hydroxide.
 Salts of strong acid and a strong base are neutral with pH value of 7. Whereas salts of strong acid and weak base are
acidic with pH value less than 7 and those of a strong base and weak acid are basic in nature with pH value more than 7.

 Explain family of salts with example

 Family of salts are classified as follows
 Sodium salts: sodium sulphate, sodium chloride, sodium nitrate, sodium carbonate
 Potassium salts: potassium sulphate, potassium nitrate
 Calcium salts: calcium nitrate, calcium sulphate, calcium carbonate
 Copper salts: Copper sulphate, copper chloride
 Ammonium salts: Ammonium nitrate, Ammonium chloride
 Chloride salts: Sodium chloride, calcium chloride, ammonium chloride, copper chloride
 Sulphate salts: Potassium sulphate, sodium sulphate, calcium sulphate, magnesium sulphate, copper sulphate, zinc
sulphate
 Nitrate Salts: Potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, sodium nitrate, ammonium nitrate
 Carbonate salts: Sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate

 Name some naturally occurring acids with their sources

Acid Natural source Acid Natural source
Acetic acid Vinegar Formic acid Nettle sting, Ant sting
Citric acid Oranges, lemons Oxalic acid Tomatoes
Tartaric acid Tamarind Lactic acid Sour milk

 How is common salt obtained from sea water?

 Sodium chloride is a white solid. It is obtained on a large scale by evaporation of sea water. The crude salt so obtained
contains impurities such as sodium sulphate, calcium sulphate, calcium chloride and magnesium chloride.

Acid Base and Salt Excellent Institute of Education Page | 5

 The crude salt is dissolved in water, the impurities are filtered off and the pure sodium chloride is precipitated out from
the solution by passing chlorine gas.

 Give some important uses of sodium chloride

 It is an essential constituent of our daily life and us used for making food items.
 It is used in the manufacture of soap.
 Mixed with ice, it is used as freezing mixture.
 It is used as a preservative for meat, fish and pickles.
 It is used for the industrial preparation of compounds like hydrochloric acid, washing soda, caustic soda etc.

 Write a note on sodium hydroxide

 When electricity is passed through an aqueous solution of sodium chloride (called brine), it decomposes to form sodium
hydroxide. The process is called the chlor-alkali process because of the products formed– chlor for chlorine and alkali
for sodium hydroxide.
 Chlorine gas is given off at the anode, and hydrogen gas at the cathode. Sodium hydroxide solution is formed near the
cathode.
At cathode: 2Na + 2H2O → 2NaOH + H2
At anode: Cl + Cl → Cl2(g)
The overall reaction is 2NaCl + 2H2O(l) ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ 2NaOH(aq) + Cl2(g) H2(g)

 Write the uses of the product of electrolysis of brine (aqueous sodium chloride)
Uses of chlorine gas:
 It is used for water treatment, swimming pools, PVC, disinfectants, CFCs and Pesticides.
Uses of Hydrogen gas:
 It is used as fuel, margarine and for production of ammonia.
Uses of NaOH:
 It is used for de-greasing of metals, soaps and detergents.
 It is also used for paper making and artificial fibres.

 Write a note on bleaching powder

 Chlorine is produced during the electrolysis of aqueous sodium chloride (brine). This chlorine gas is used for the
manufacture of bleaching powder.
 Bleaching powder is produced by the action of chlorine on dry slaked lime [Ca(OH)2]. Bleaching powder is represented
as CaOCl2, though the actual composition is quite complex.
Ca(OH)2 + Cl2 → CaOCl2 + H2O

Uses of Bleaching powder

 It is used for bleaching cotton and linen in the textile industry, for bleaching wood pulp in paper factories and for
bleaching washed clothes in laundry;
 as an oxidising agent in many chemical industries
 It is used for disinfecting drinking water to make it free of germs.

 Write a note on baking soda

Acid Base and Salt Excellent Institute of Education Page | 6

 The soda commonly used in the kitchen is baking soda. Sometimes it is added for faster cooking.
 The chemical name of the compound is sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3). It is produced using sodium chloride as
one of the raw materials.
NaCl + H2O + CO2 + NH3 → NH4Cl + NaHCO3

Properties:
 It is a mild non-corrosive base.
 At 100oC, it decomposes with evolution of CO2 gas.
Uses:
 For making baking powder, which is a mixture of baking soda (sodium hydrogencarbonate) and a mild edible acid such
as tartaric acid. When baking powder is heated or mixed in water, the following reaction takes place –
NaHCO3 + H+ → CO2 + H2O + sodium salt of acid
 Carbon dioxide produced during the reaction causes bread or cake to rise making them soft and spongy.
 Sodium hydrogen carbonate is also an ingredient in antacids. Being alkaline, it neutralizes excess acid in the stomach
and provides relief.
 It is also used in soda-acid fire extinguishers.

 Write a note on washing soda.

 Washing soda (Na2CO3.10H2O) is obtained through recrystallization of sodium carbonate.
Na2CO3 + 10H2O → Na2CO3.10H2O
 Here 10H2O shows water of crystallization.
Uses:
 Sodium carbonate (washing soda) is used in glass, soap and paper industries.
 It is used in the manufacture of sodium compounds such as borax.
 Sodium carbonate can be used as a cleaning agent for domestic purposes.
 It is used for removing permanent hardness of water.

 What happens when copper sulphate is heated

 Copper sulphate crystals which seem to be dry contain water of crystallisation. When we heat the crystals, this water is
removed and the salt turns white.
 If we moisten the crystals again with water, again blue colour of the crystals reappears.
 Water of crystallisation is the fixed number of water molecules present in one formula unit of a salt. Five water
molecules are present in one formula unit of copper sulphate.
 Chemical formula for hydrated copper sulphate is CuSO4. 5H2O.

 Write a note on Plaster of Paris

 On heating gypsum at 373 K, it loses water molecules and becomes calcium sulphate hemihydrates (CaSO4. ½H2O) also
known as Plaster of paris.
 It is used as plaster for supporting fractured bones in the right position. Plaster of Paris is a white powder and on mixing
with water, it changes to gypsum once again giving a hard solid mass.
CaSO4. ½ H2O + 1½ H2O → CaSO4.2H2O
 Here two formula units of CaSO4 share one molecule of water.
 Plaster of Paris is used for making toys, materials for decoration and for making surfaces smooth.

Acid Base and Salt Excellent Institute of Education Page | 7