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).

Observations
*Usually, but not always

Taste
Feel (choose slippery
or not slippery)
pH (# from the key)
Litmus (blue or red)

NaOH(aq)
Bitter

HCl(aq)
Sour

Slippery

Not slippery

14
Blue

1
Red
*Cloudy/
white
*Yellow
Bubbles
Bubbles

Phenolphthalein

*Pink

Bromothymol
Magnesium
Baking soda

*Blue
NR
NR

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 107

Calculations with pH
Q: What is the pH if [H+]= 6.3 x 105?
pH = log [H+]
(6.3, exp or EE, 5, +/-, log, +/-)
(-, log, 6.3, exp or EE, -, 5)
Ans: 4.2
Q: What is the [H+] if pH = 7.4?
[H+] = 10pH mol/L
(10, xy, 7.4, +/-, =)
3.98 x 108 M
(10, ^, -, 7.4, =)
Try questions 2 and 6 (a-b) on page 375

Pg. 375
2 a) pH = log [H+] = log [1x108] = 8.0
b) pH = log [H+] = log [1x107] = 7.0
c) pH = log [H+] = log [2.5x106] = 5.60
d) pH = log [H+] = log [1.3x104] = 3.89
6 a) [H+] = 10pH = 105.4 = 4 x 106 mol/L
b) [H+] = 10pH = 105.72 = 1.9 x 106 mol/L

Historical views on acids

O (e.g. H2SO4) was originally thought to cause

acidic properties. Later, H was implicated, but
it was still not clear why CH4 was neutral.
Arrhenius made the revolutionary suggestion
that some solutions contain ions & that acids
produce H3O+ (hydronium) ions in solution.
Ionization
+
H
H
HO
+ Cl
Cl H + O
H
H
The more recent Bronsted-Lowry concept is
that acids are H+ (proton) donors and bases
are proton acceptors

The Bronsted-Lowry concept

In this idea, the ionization of an acid by water

is just one example of an acid-base reaction.
Cl H
acid

H
base

+
H
HO
+

Cl

H
conjugate acid conjugate base

conjugate acid-base pairs

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

Practice problems

Identify the acid, base, conjugate acid,

conjugate base, and conjugate acid-base pairs:
HC2H3O2(aq) + H2O(l) C2H3O2(aq) + H3O+(aq)
conjugate base conjugate acid
acid
base
conjugate acid-base pairs
OH (aq) + HCO3(aq) CO32(aq) + H2O(l)
base
acid
conjugate base conjugate acid
conjugate acid-base pairs
Reference: pg. 386 387
Try Q18 (p389), Q 8 & 11 (p392): do as above

Answers: question 18
(a) HF(aq) + SO32(aq) F(aq) + HSO3(aq)
conjugate base conjugate acid
acid
base
conjugate acid-base pairs
(b)
CO32(aq) + HC2H3O2(aq) C2H3O2(aq) + HCO3(aq)
base
acid
conjugate base conjugate acid
(c)

conjugate acid-base pairs

H3PO4(aq) + OCl (aq) H2PO4(aq) + HOCl(aq)

conjugate base conjugate acid
acid
base
conjugate acid-base pairs

8a) HCO3(aq) + S2(aq) HS(aq) + CO32(aq)

acid
base conjugate acid conjugate base
conjugate acid-base pairs
8b) H2CO3(aq) + OH (aq) HCO3(aq) + H2O(l)
acid
base conjugate base conjugate acid
conjugate acid-base pairs
11a) H3O+(aq) + HSO3(aq) H2O(l) + H2SO3(aq)
conjugate base conjugate acid
acid
base
conjugate acid-base pairs
11b) OH (aq) + HSO3(aq) H2O(l) + SO32(aq)
base
acid conjugate acid conjugate base
conjugate acid-base pairs

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