ARAVALI

INTERNATIONAL
SCHOOL
CLASS - VI
SUBJECT – CHEMISTRY
NTSE MODULE

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Introduction
You all know that lemon, tomato, oranges taste sour. You also know that all of them contains citric
acid. This is the best natural example to prove that acids are sour in taste. On the other hand you all
know that increased amount of baking soda makes the cake taste bitter. This is because baking soda
is a base and hence tastes bitter.

Fig. lemon (acidic) and baking soda (basic)

So, we conclude that acids can be easily pointed out by their sourness whereas bases can be easily
pointed out by their bitterness.

Acids and bases

The substances that taste sour are called acid and their nature is acidic. The term acid is derived
from a Latin word acere which means sour. Examples of acidic substances are Curd containing lactic
acid, lemon juice and tomato containing citric acid, and vinegar containing acetic acid.

Fig. Lemon juice, tomato, vinegar

The substances that taste bitter are called base and their nature is basic. They are slippery to touch.
Example: baking soda containing sodium hydrogen carbonate, Milk of magnesia, Soaps, Lime water
containing calcium hydroxide, Household cleaners.

Fig. Baking soda, milk of magnesia

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Types of Acids and Bases found in nature

Indicators
• We cannot taste every object and find its nature. Therefore, we use indicators.
• An indicator is a substance that can determine if another substance is acidic or basic in nature.
• The indicators indicate the presence of an acid or base in a substance by changing their colour. For
Example Turmeric, China rose petals and Litmus are some natural indicators. Natural indicators the
indicators that occur in nature.
1. Litmus as an indicator
• Litmus is a natural indicator which is obtained from Lichens.

• Litmus is available in a solution form and paper strips (red litmus and blue litmus paper).

Figure : Litmus test

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 Figure: Testing Solutions with Litmus Paper

2. Turmeric as an indicator
• To use turmeric as an indicator it is generally mixed with water to form a paste which is then put on
blotting paper and dried to form thin strips of turmeric paper.
• The turmeric paper is then put into the solutions in order to determine their acidity or alkaline
nature.
• Sometimes turmeric solution is also used as an indicator.

3. China Rose as an indicator

China Rose petals are kept in warm water and a coloured solution is obtained from that. This
coloured solution is used as an indicator to test other substances.

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 Figure : Using China rose as an Indicator

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Test Yourself- Worksheet-1
Q1. Fill in the blanks.
i. Change of colour in an acid and a base depends on the type of the .
ii. Acid turns litmus red.
iii. Bases turn litmus blue.
iv. Litmus has a colour in distilled water.
v. Lemon juice is acidic in nature.
Q2. True/False
i. Nitric acid turns red litmus blue.
ii. Sodium hydroxide turns blue litmus red.
iii. Indicator is a substance which shows different colours in acidic and basic solutions.
Q3. What is the nature of soap solution?
Ans. Soap solution is basic in nature.
Q4. What is the nature of distilled water?
Ans. The Distilled water is neutral.
Q5. State the nature of baking soda.
Ans. Baking soda is basic in nature.
Q6. Where does the word acid come from?
Ans. The word acid comes from the Latin word acere which means sour.
Q7. Why curd, lemon juice, orange juice and vinegar taste sour?
Ans. These substances taste sour because they contain acids.
Q8. Which is the most commonly used natural indicator?
Ans. The most commonly used natural indicator is litmus.
Q9. Tom rubs a solution between fingers and feels soapy, what is the nature of that solution?
Ans. Basic
Q10. When red litmus paper is dipped in a solution; it remains red, what is the nature of the
solution?
Ans. Neutral
Q11. Why solid baking soda does not change colour of dry litmus paper?
Ans. The solid baking soda does not change colour of dry litmus paper because in solid states ions
are not free to move.
Q12. Give examples of some acids and bases.
Ans. Acids - Curd, lemon juice, vinegar, orange juice etc.
Base - baking soda, lime water etc.
Q13. What are indicators?
Ans. Solutions of substances that show different colour in acidic, basic and neutral solutions are
called indicators.
Q14. What is the effect of the China rose indicator on acidic and basic solutions?
Ans. China rose indicator turns acidic solutions to dark pink (magenta) and basic solutions to green.

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Classification of Acids

Acids are often classified on the basis of source, the presence of oxygen, strength,
concentration and basicity.

1) Classification based on the source

This means that the acid is classified on the basis of their source or origin. They are mainly of two
types: Organic acid and Mineral acid.

• Organic Acid: This is the acid obtained from organic materials such as plants and animals. For
e.g. Citric acid (Citrus fruits), Acetic acid (Vinegar), Oleic acid (Olive oil), etc.

• Mineral Acid: Mineral acid is procured from minerals. They are also known as inorganic acids.
They do not contain carbon. For e.g. H2SO4, HCl. HNO3, etc.

2) Classification based on the presence of Oxygen

This means that the acids are classified on the basis of the presence of oxygen. These are of two
types: Oxy-acid and Hydracids.

• Oxy-acid: Acids that consist oxygen in their composition is known as Oxy-acids. For e.g. H2SO4,
HNO3, etc.

• Hydracid: Those that consist hydrogen combined with other elements and do not contain any
oxygen in their composition and do not contain any oxygen in their composition are called
Hydracids. For e.g. HCl, HI, HBr, etc.

3) Classification based on the Strength of the acid

Acids produce hydrogen ions when mixed with H2O, the strength of an acid depends on its
concentration of the hydrogen ions present in a solution. A greater number of hydrogen ions means
greater strength of the acid whereas, lower number of hydrogen ions means that the acid is weak.
They are classified as:

• Strong Acids: An acid which can be dissociated completely or almost completely in water is
known as a strong acid. For e.g. sulphuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, etc.
• Weak Acids: An acid which doesn’t dissociate completely or dissociates negligibly in water is
known as a weak acid. For e.g. Those that which we usually consume on daily basis i.e. citric
acid, acetic acid, etc

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4) Classification based on its concentration
As we have studied above, the concentration of the acid depends on the number of hydrogen ions
that it produces in water. Based on this the acid is classified as :

• Concentrated Acid: When an aqueous solution has a relatively high percentage of acid
dissolved in it, then it is a concentrated acid. For e.g. concentrated hydrochloric acid,
concentrated sulphuric acid, concentrated nitric acid, etc,

• Diluted Acid: When an aqueous solution has a relatively low percentage of acid dissolved in it,
then it is a dilute acid. For e.g. dilute hydrochloric acid, dilute sulphuric acid, dilute nitric acid, etc.

Properties of Acids

The properties of Acids are as follows;

• Acids change the color of blue litmus to red

• They change the color of Methyl Orange/Yellow to Pink
• Acidic substances convert Phenolphthalein from deep pink to colorless.
• Are sour or tart in taste
• The pH level of acids ranges from 0-6
• Acids lose their acidity when combined with alkali.
• They destroy the chemical property of bases
• When reacting with metals they produce hydrogen gas
• Acids produce carbon dioxide when reacted with carbonates.
• Most acids are corrosive in nature which means that they tend to corrode or rust metals.

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 Classification of Bases

Bases are substances that slippery to touch when in aqueous form. They taste bitter and changethe color

of red litmus paper to blue. Bases also dissociate in the water like acids, but instead of producing H+ they
produce OH- i.e. hydroxyl ion. If a base dissolves in water, then it is called an Alkali. Ammonium

hydroxide, Calcium hydroxide are some examples of alkalis. Alkalis become less alkaline when mixed
with acids. The pH level of bases ranges from 8-14.

They are usually classified on the basis of strength, concentration and on its acidity.

1) Classification based on the Strength

Just like acids, the strength of bases depends on the number of hydroxyl ions it produces when
dissolved in water. A high amount of hydroxyl ion represents a strong base and a low amount of
base represents a weak base.

• Strong base: A base that dissolves completely or almost completely in water is known as a
strong base. For e.g. NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)2, etc.

• Weak base: A base which doesn’t dissolve completely is called a weak base. For e.g. Mg(OH)2,
NH4OH

2) Classification based on the Concentration

The concentration of the base depends upon the amount of base dissolved in water. It is of two
types i.e. Concentrated and Dilute base.

• Concentrated Base: An aqueous solution which has a relatively high percentage of the base is a
concentrated base. For e.g. Concentrated sodium hydroxide, concentrated potassium hydroxide,
concentrated ammonium hydroxide, etc

• Diluted Base: An aqueous solution which has a relatively low percentage of the base is a dilute
base. For e.g. dilute sodium hydroxide, diluted potassium hydroxide, dilute ammonium hydroxide,
etc.

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 Properties of Base:
• Produce hydroxide ions [OH –] in H2O.
• Water soluble bases are called alkalies.
• Bitter Taste
• Turn Red Litmus blue.
• Act as electrolytes in Solution.
• Neutralize solutions containing H+ ions.
• Have a slippery, ‘soapy’ feel.
• Dissolve fatty material.

Understanding the chemical properties of Acid and Bases:

1. Acids and Bases in the Laboratory
Activity 1.
Collect the following samples from the science laboratory– hydrochloric acid (HCl), sulphuric acid
(H2SO4), nitric acid (HNO3), acetic acid (CH3COOH), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), calcium hydroxide
[Ca(OH)2], potassium hydroxide (KOH), magnesium hydroxide [Mg(OH)2], and ammonium hydroxide
(NH4OH).
Put a drop of each of the above solutions on a watch-glass and test with a drop of the following
indicators as shown in Table 1.
What change in colour did you observe with red litmus, blue litmus, phenolphthalein and methyl orange
solutions for each of the solutions taken?
Tabulate your observations in
Table 1.
Sample solution Red litmus Blue litmus Phenolphthalein Methyl orange
solution solution solution solution

These indicators tell us whether a substance is acidic or basic by change in colour. There are some
substances whose odour changes in acidic or basic media. These are called olfactory indicators. Let us
try out some of these indicators.

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Activity 2
• Take some finely chopped onions in a plastic bag along with some strips of clean cloth.
• Tie up the bag tightly and leave overnight in the fridge.
• The cloth strips can now be used to test for acids and bases.
• Take two of these cloth strips and check their odour.
• Keep them on a clean surface and put a few drops of dilute HCl solution on one strip and a few
drops of dilute NaOH solution on the other.
• Rinse both cloth strips with water and again check their odour.
• Note your observations.
• Now take some dilute vanilla essence and clove oil and check their odour.
• Take some dilute HCl solution in one test tube and dilute NaOH solution in another.
Add a few drops of dilute vanilla essence to both test tubes and shake well. Check the odour once again
and record changes in odour, if any.
Similarly, test the change in the odour of clove oil with dilute HCl and dilute NaOH solutions and record
your observations.
Which of these – vanilla, onion and clove, can be used as olfactory indicators on the basis of your
observations? Let us do some more activities to understand the chemical properties of acids and bases.

2. How do Acids and Bases reacts with metals?

Activity 3
CAUTION: This activity needs the teacher’s assistance.
• Set the apparatus as shown in Fig.
• Take about 5 mL of dilute sulphuric acid in a test tube and add a few pieces of zinc granules to it.
• What do you observe on the surface of zinc granules?
• Pass the gas being evolved through the soap solution.
• Why are bubbles formed in the soap solution?
• Take a burning candle near a gas filled bubble. What do you observe?
• Repeat this Activity with some more acids like HCl, HNO3 and CH3COOH.
• Are the observations in all the cases the same or different?
FIGURE 1

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Reaction of zinc granules with dilute sulphuric acid and testing hydrogen gas by burning

Note that the metal in the above reactions displaces hydrogen from the acids. This is seen as hydrogen
gas. The metal combines with the remaining part of the acid and forms a compound called a salt. Thus,
the reaction of a metal with an acid can be summarised as–
Acid + Metal → Salt + Hydrogen gas
Can you now write the equations for the reactions you have observed?
Activity 4
• Place a few pieces of granulated zinc metal in a test tube.
• Add 2 mL of sodium hydroxide solution and warm the contents of the test tube.
• Repeat the rest of the steps as in Activity 3 and record your
observations.The reaction that takes place can be written as follows.
2NaOH + Zn--- Na2 ZnO2 (Sodium zincate) + H2
You find again that hydrogen is formed in the reaction. However, such reactions are not possible with all
metals.
Activity 5
• Take two test tubes, label them as A and B.
• Take about 0.5 g of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) in test tube A and about 0.5 g of sodium
hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3) in test tube B.
• Add about 2 mL of dilute HCl to both the test tubes. What do you observe?
• Pass the gas produced in each case through lime water (calcium hydroxide solution) as shown
inFig. 2 and record your observations.
FIGURE

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Passing carbon dioxide gas through calcium hydroxide solution

The reactions occurring in the above Activity are written as –

Test tube A: Na2CO3 + 2HCl(aq) ---------- 2NaCl (aq) +H2O(L) +CO2(g)
Test tube B: NaHCO3(S)+ HCl(aq) ------------ NaCl(aq)+H2O(L)+CO2(g)
On passing the carbon dioxide gas evolved through lime water,
Ca(OH)2 + CO2 (g) ------------ CaCO3 (S) + H2O(L) + CO2(g)
On passing carbon dioxide the following reaction takes place.
Limestone, chalk and marble are different forms of calcium carbonate. All metal carbonates and
hydrogen carbonates react with acids to give a corresponding salt, carbon dioxide and water. Thus, the
reaction can be summarised as----
Metal carbonate/Metal hydrogen carbonate + Acid → Salt + Carbon dioxide + Water.

3. How do Acids and Bases react with each other?

Activity 6:
• Take about 2 mL of dilute NaOH solution in a test tube and add two drops of phenolphthalein
solution. What is the colour of the solution?
• Add dilute HCl solution to the above solution drop by drop.
• Is there any colour change for the reaction mixture?
• Why did the colour of phenolphthalein change after the addition of an acid?
• Now add a few drops of NaOH to the above mixture.
• Does the pink colour of phenolphthalein reappear? Why do you think this has happened?
In the above Activity, we have observed that the effect of a base is nullified by an acid and vice-versa.
The reaction taking place is written as –
NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) → NaCl(aq) + H2O(l)
The reaction between an acid and a base to give a salt and water is known as a neutralisation reaction.
In general, a neutralisation reaction can be written as –
Base + Acid → Salt + Water

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Test Yourself- Worksheet-2

Multiple Choice questions

Q1. When a solution of an acid contains larger amount of acid, it is said to be-
(a) Dilute (c) Monobasic
(b) concentrated (d) polybasic

Q2. Metals like sodium, potassium and calcium react with an acid to liberate-
(a) CO2 (c) O2
(b) NH3 (d) H2
Q3. Which of the following is a weak acid?
(a) sulphuric acid (c) acetic acid
(b) hydrochloric acid (d) nitric acid
Q4. The acid present in vinegar
(a) citric acid (c) ascorbic acid
(b) tartaric acid (d) acetic acid
Q5. Which of these bases is not an alkali?
(a) NaOH (c) AI (OH)3
(b) NH4OH (d) all of the are alkalies
Q7. H3PO4 is the example of-
(a) hydracids (c) oxyacid
(b) organic acid (d) salt

Q8. Which of the following substance will not give carbon dioxide on treatment with dilute acid?
(a) Marble (c) Baking soda
(b) Limestone (d) Lime
Q9. H2SO4 can be prepared by reaction of water with-
(a) NO2 (c) N2O
(b) SO2 (d) SO3
Q10. The aqueous solution of sodium acetate is
(a) basic (c) acidic
(b) neutral (d) none of these

Q11. Metals like sodium, potassium and calcium react with an acid to liberate
a) CO2 c) NH3
b) O2 d) H2

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 Q12. Which of the following is acidic in nature –
a) apple juice c) slaked lime
b) soap solution d) lime

Q13. Which of the following acid is present in sour milk ?

a) glycolic acid c) citrus acid
b) lactic acid d) tartaric acid
Q14. Milk of magnesium is an example of
(a) base (c) salt
(b) acid (d) none of these
Q15. Which of the following is the weak acid
(a) sulphuric acid (c) acetic acid
(b) hydrochloric acid (d) nitric acid
Q16. The acid used in making of vinegar is :-
a) Formic acid c) Sulphuric acid
b) Acetic acid d) Nitric acid

17. Write balanced chemical equations for the reactions taking place when dry blue crystals ofcopper
sulphate are dropped into concentrated sulphuric acid.
Q18. Name the products formed when sodium hydrogen carbonate is heated. Write the chemical
equation for the reaction involved.
Q19. How is the concentration of hydronium ions (H3O+) affected when a solution of an acid is
diluted?
Q20. Name the gas which is usually produced when dilute sulphuric acid reacts with a metal.
Illustrate it with an example. How will you test the evolution of this gas?
Q21. Define an acid and a base. Name one weak acid and one strong base.
Q22. Explain why an aqueous solution of sodium sulphate is neutral while an aqueous solution of
sodium carbonate is basic in nature.
Q23. What are strong and weak acids? In the following list of acids, separate strong acids from weak acids:
Hydrochloric acid, citric acid, acetic acid, nitric acid, formic acid, sulphuric acid

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