Acids & bases comprehensive notes

ACIDS & BASES

Properties of Acids
 Sour taste
 Corrosive
 Ionise in water & conduct electricity
 0 < pH value < 7
 Blue litmus turns red

Properties of Bases
 Bitter taste
 Corrosive & caustic
 Dissociate / ionise in water and conduct electricity
 7 < pH value 14
 Red litmus turns blue

Common Acids
 Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) strong
 Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4) strong
 Sulfurous Acid (H2SO3) weak
 Acetic / ethanoic acid (CH3COOH) weak
 Carbonic Acid (H2CO3) weak
 Nitric Acid (HNO3) strong
 Phosphoric Acid (H3PO4) weak

Common Bases
 Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) strong
 Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) strong
 Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) strong
 Magnesium Hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) weak
 Ammonia (NH3) weak
 Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3) weak
 Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate (NaHCO3) weak

Arrhenius Theory
 An acid is a substance that produces hydrogen ions (H+) /
hydronium ions (H3O+) when it dissolves in water
 A base is a substance that produces hydroxide ions (OH-) when it
dissolves in water
 Definitions only apply to acids & bases in aqueous solutions +
bases limited to hydroxides