Hendon School

AS Chemistry
F321: Atoms, Bonds and Groups

Acids
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Unit F321: Atoms, Bonds and Group

Acids
Specification objectives (1.1.3)
By the end of this study guide you should:

Page
ref.

I have
covered
this

I have
revised
this

a) explain that an acid releases H+ ions in aqueous

solution;
b) state the formulae of the common acids:
hydrochloric, sulfuric and nitric acids;
c) state that common bases are metal oxides, metal
hydroxides and ammonia;
d) state that an alkali is a soluble base that releases
OH ions in aqueous solution;
e) state the formulae of the common alkalis: sodium
hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and aqueous
ammonia;
f) explain that a salt is produced when the H + ion of an
acid is replaced by a metal ion or NH 4+;
g) describe the reactions of an acid with carbonates,
bases and alkalis, to form a salt;
h) explain that a base readily accepts H+ ions from an
acid: eg OH forming H2O; NH3 forming NH4+;
i) explain the terms anhydrous, hydrated and water of
crystallisation;
j) calculate the formula of a hydrated salt from given
percentage composition, mass composition or
experimental data;
k) perform acidbase titrations, and carry out
structured titrations.

Definition to be learned

Section One: Acids

1) Write the formulae for the following acids:
a) Hydrochloric acid
b) Nitric acid
c) Sulphuric acid
d) Phosphoric acid
2) Looking at the formulae, what do these acids have in common?
3) All acids release hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in water.
Fill in the table below, showing the sub-atomic particles present in a hydrogen
ion:
Symbol

Protons

Neutrons

Electrons

+
H

1
1

Given that a hydrogen ion consists simply of a proton, acids can be defined as
follows:

Definition:
Acids are proton donors.
Section Two: Bases and Alkalis
Bases react with acids, accepting a hydrogen ion. Bases can therefore be defined as
follows:

Definition:
Bases are proton acceptors.
Common bases, you need to be familiar with, are metal oxides, metal hydroxides
and ammonia.
4) Write the formulae of the following bases:
a) Magnesium oxide
b) Potassium oxide
c) Sodium hydroxide
d) Calcium hydroxide
e) Ammonia

Alkalis are soluble bases that release hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. For
example:
NaOH(s) + (aq) Na+(aq) + OH-(aq)
CaO(s) + H2O(l) Ca2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq)
5) Write balanced equations for the reactions of the following with water:
a) Magnesium oxide
b) Potassium hydroxide
c) Ammonia

Section Three: Reactions of Acids

Salts are formed when the hydrogen ion(s) of an acid are replaced by a cation
(metal ion or ammonium ion (NH4+), for example).
6) Complete the following table:
Acid

Formula

Name of sodium salt

Formula of
sodium salt

Hydrochloric

HCl

Sodium chloride

NaCl

Nitric
Sulphuric
Phosphoric
There are three reactions of acids you should know from Y9:
acid + metal salt + hydrogen
acid + base salt + water (although in the case of ammonia, no water is
formed)
acid + carbonate salt + carbon dioxide + water
7) Write balanced chemical equations for the following reactions:
a) hydrochloric acid + barium
b) nitric acid + lithium oxide
c) sulphuric acid + ammonia
d) phosphoric acid + aluminium carbonate

Section Four: Hydrated Salts

Some salts incorporate water molecules in their crystalline lattices. These

water molecules are called water of crystallisation; the salts are described
as being hydrated.
The water can be removed from the lattice by heating the hydrated salt. This
leaves the anhydrous salt.
A given hydrated salt will have a specific number of water of crystallisation
molecules per mole of the salt. For example, hydrated copper sulphate has 5
moles of water per mole of CuSO4. The formula is written as follows:
CuSO4.5H2O
The formula of hydrated salts can be determined experimentally as follows:
o Weight the hydrated salt.
o Heat the salt in a crucible until there is no further mass lost.
o Weigh the solid residue.
The data obtained can be used to calculate the molar ratio of water to salt in
a similar fashion to working out empirical formulae.
For example: 2.00g CuSO4.xH2O was heated strongly. 1.28g of solid residue
was produced. The mass of water lost was 0.72g.
When calculating the molar ratios, use the empirical formula method only,
instead of writing the elements at the top of the columns, write the formula of
the salt and the formula of water:
Formula
m
Mr
n
divide by
lower
ratio

CuSO4
1.28
159.6
0.0080

H2O
0.72
18.0
0.040

0.0080

0.0080

Finding the concentration of an unknown solution by

titration
Preparation:
Before starting any titration you must prepare the burette and the pipette. To do this
you must rinse them out with the solution you are using them to measure. Your
teacher will show you how to do this.
1. Rinse the burette with a small amount of the sulphuric acid of unknown
concentration. Dont forget to run some through the tip
2. Ensure there are no air bubbles in the tip of the burette
3. Top up the burette so that the bottom of the meniscus is somewhere between
0.0 and 5.0cm3 on the scale.
4. Rinse a 25.0cm3 pipette with a small amount of 0.05moldm-3 NaOH

Titration:

5. Using your pre-rinsed pipette, measure 25.0cm 3 of 0.05moldm-3 NaOH into a

250ml conical flask.
6. Add 3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator solution to the conical flask. The
solution should turn purple/pink.
7. Use your wash bottle to rinse the sides of the conical flask to ensure that all
of your solution is at the bottom.
8. Double check that there are no air bubbles in the tip of your burette.
9. Note down the initial reading on your burette in the table overleaf. Remember
you should read from the bottom of the meniscus.
10.Add the sulphuric acid solution to your conical flask. Control the tap with your
off hand and swirl the flask with your writing hand. Your teacher will give you
some pointers.
11.Occasionally stop adding the acid and rinse down the inside of your flask with
a little distilled water.
12.As you approach the end point the solution in your conical should turn
colourless, but return to pink with swirling.
13.Add the acid drop-wise, swirling thoroughly, until the solution remains
colourless.
14.Note down the final reading in the table below.
15.Calculate the volume of acid added (the titre) and add it to your table.
16.Rinse out your conical flask, three times with tap water and twice with
distilled water.
17.Repeat steps 5 16 until you get two titres within 0.1cm 3 of each other.
18.Use these values to calculate the mean titre.

Burette solution: H2SO4(aq) (unknown

conc.)

Pipette solution:
Titre
number

Final
reading
(cm3)
Initial
reading
(cm3)
Titre (cm3)
Mean titre:

Calculations:
Complete these calculations in your book or on A4 paper.
1. Write the balanced equation for the reaction between sodium hydroxide
(NaOH) and sulphuric acid (H2SO4).
2. Calculate the number of moles of sodium hydroxide you added in each of
your titration attempts. (Remember: 1dm3 = 1000cm3)
3. Deduce the number of moles of sulphuric acid which would react with this
many moles of sodium hydroxide.
4. Use this value and the mean titre to calculate the concentration of the
sulphuric acid solution.

Section Six: Finishing Of

Answer the past paper questions on the following pages. Check your answers on
Frog.

8)

1.

(a)

A student carries out a titration to find the concentration of some sulfuric acid.
3

The student finds that 25.00 cm of 0.0880 mol dm aqueous sodium

3
hydroxide, NaOH, is neutralised by 17.60 cm of dilute sulfuric acid, H2SO4.
H2SO4(aq) + 2NaOH(aq) Na2SO4(aq) + 2H2O(l)
(i)

Calculate the amount, in moles, of NaOH used.

answer = ................................... mol

[1]

(ii)

Determine the amount, in moles, of H2SO4 used.

answer = ................................... mol

[1]

(iii)

Calculate the concentration, in mol dm , of the sulfuric acid.

answer = ................................... mol dm

[1]

(b)

After carrying out the titration in (a), the student left the resulting solution to
crystallise. White crystals were formed, with a formula of Na2SO4x H2O and a
1

molar mass of 322.1 g mol .

(i)

What term is given to the x H2O part of the formula?

................................................................................................................
8

[1]

(ii)

Using the molar mass of the crystals, calculate the value of x.

answer = ...................................
[2]
[Total 6 marks]

2.

Calcium and its compounds, have properties typical of Group 2 in the Periodic
Table.
Calcium carbonate, CaCO3, reacts with acids such as nitric acid.
A student neutralised 2.68 g of CaCO3 with 2.50 mol dm

nitric acid, HNO3.

The equation for this reaction is shown below.

CaCO3(s) + 2HNO3(aq) Ca(NO3)2(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l)

(i)

Determine the amount, in mol, of CaCO3 reacted.

amount = ............................................... mol

[2]

(ii)

Calculate the volume, in cm , of CO2 produced at room temperature and

pressure.

volume = ............................................... cm3

[1]

(iii)

Calculate the volume of 2.50 mol dm

CaCO3.

HNO3 needed to neutralise 2.68 g of

volume = ............................................... cm

[2]
[Total 5 marks]

3.

Ammonia reacts with sulphuric acid, as shown in the equation below.

2NH3(g) H2SO4(aq) (NH4)2SO4(aq)
(i)

Complete the statement below to describe how ammonia is behaving in this

reaction.
Ammonia is behaving as a ..................... because
.........................................................................................................................
[2]

(ii)

State one important use for the compound (NH4)2SO4.

.........................................................................................................................
[1]

(iii)

Apart from the manufacture of (NH4)2SO4, state one other large-scale use of
ammonia.
.........................................................................................................................
[1]
[Total 4 marks]

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