Properties of acids and bases

Get 8 test tubes. Rinse all tubes well with water.

Add acid to four tubes, base to the other four.
Touch a drop of base to your finger. Record
the feel in the chart (on the next slide). Wash
your hands with water. Repeat for acid.
Use a stirring rod, add base to the litmus and
pH papers (for pH paper use a colour key to
find a number). Record results. Repeat for acid.
Into the four base tubes add: a) two drops of
phenolphthalein, b) 2 drops of bromothymol, c)
a piece of Mg, d) a small scoop of baking soda.
Record results. Repeat for acid.
Clean up (wash tubes, pH/litmus paper in trash).
Bubbles NR Baking soda
Bubbles NR Magnesium
*Yellow *Blue Bromothymol
*Cloudy/
white
*Pink Phenolphthalein
Red Blue Litmus (blue or red)
1 14 pH (# from the key)
Not slippery Slippery
Feel (choose slippery
or not slippery)
Sour Bitter Taste
HCl(aq) NaOH(aq)
Observations
*Usually, but not always
pH
There are many ways to consider acids and
bases. One of these is pH. Read pg. 368-70.
[H
+
] is critical in many chemical reactions.
A quick method of denoting [H
+
] is via pH.
By definition pH = log [H
+
], [H
+
] = 10
-pH
The pH scale, similar to the Richter scale,
describes a wide range of values
An earthquake of 6 is 10 as violent as a 5
Thus, the pH scale condenses possible
values of [H
+
] to a 14 point scale (fig. 2, p370)
Also, it is easier to say pH = 7 vs. [H
+
] = 1 x 10
7
Calculations with pH
Ans: 4.2
3.98 x 10
8
M

Try questions 2 and 6 (a-b) on page 375
Q: What is the pH if [H
+
]= 6.3 x 10
5
?
pH = log [H
+
]
(6.3, exp or EE, 5, +/-, log, +/-)
(-, log, 6.3, exp or EE, -, 5)
Q: What is the [H
+
] if pH = 7.4?
[H
+
] = 10
pH
mol/L
(10, x
y
, 7.4, +/-, =)
(10, ^, -, 7.4, =)
Pg. 375
2 a) pH = log [H
+
] = log [1x10
8
] = 8.0
b) pH = log [H
+
] = log [1x10
7
] = 7.0
c) pH = log [H
+
] = log [2.5x10
6
] = 5.60
d) pH = log [H
+
] = log [1.3x10
4
] = 3.89
6 a) [H
+
] = 10
pH
= 10
5.4
= 4 x 10
6
mol/L
b) [H
+
] = 10
pH
= 10
5.72
= 1.9 x 10
6
mol/L

Historical views on acids
The more recent Bronsted-Lowry concept is
that acids are H
+
(proton) donors and bases
are proton acceptors
Ionization
+ Cl H
H
H
O
+
H
H
H O
Cl
+
O (e.g. H
2
SO
4
) was originally thought to cause
acidic properties. Later, H was implicated, but
it was still not clear why CH
4
was neutral.
Arrhenius made the revolutionary suggestion
that some solutions contain ions & that acids
produce H
3
O
+
(hydronium) ions in solution.
The Bronsted-Lowry concept
In this idea, the ionization of an acid by water
is just one example of an acid-base reaction.
Acids and bases are identified based on
whether they donate or accept H
+
.
Conjugate acids and bases are found on the
products side of the equation. A conjugate
base is the same as the starting acid minus H
+
.
+ Cl H
H
H
O
+
H
H
H O
Cl
+
acid base conjugate acid conjugate base
conjugate acid-base pairs
Practice problems
Identify the acid, base, conjugate acid,
conjugate base, and conjugate acid-base pairs:
Reference: pg. 386 387
Try Q18 (p389), Q 8 & 11 (p392): do as above
acid base conjugate acid conjugate base
HC
2
H
3
O
2
(aq) + H
2
O(l) C
2
H
3
O
2

(aq) + H
3
O
+
(aq)
conjugate acid-base pairs
acid base conjugate acid conjugate base
OH

(aq) + HCO
3

(aq) CO
3
2
(aq) + H
2
O(l)
conjugate acid-base pairs
acid base conjugate acid conjugate base
HF(aq) + SO
3
2
(aq) F

(aq) + HSO
3

(aq)
conjugate acid-base pairs
acid base conjugate acid conjugate base
CO
3
2
(aq) + HC
2
H
3
O
2
(aq) C
2
H
3
O
2

(aq) + HCO
3

(aq)
conjugate acid-base pairs
acid base conjugate acid conjugate base
H
3
PO
4
(aq) + OCl

(aq) H
2
PO
4

(aq) + HOCl(aq)
conjugate acid-base pairs
Answers: question 18
(a)
(b)
(c)
acid base conjugate base conjugate acid
HCO
3

(aq) + S
2
(aq) HS

(aq) + CO
3
2
(aq)
conjugate acid-base pairs
base acid conjugate acid conjugate base
H
2
CO
3
(aq) + OH

(aq) HCO
3

(aq) + H
2
O(l)
conjugate acid-base pairs
acid base conjugate acid conjugate base
H
3
O
+
(aq) + HSO
3

(aq) H
2
O(l) + H
2
SO
3
(aq)
conjugate acid-base pairs
8a)
8b)
11a)
base acid conjugate base conjugate acid
OH

(aq) + HSO
3

(aq) H
2
O(l) + SO
3
2
(aq)
conjugate acid-base pairs
11b)
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