Acids

Acids, alkalis and bases

An acid is something that releases positive hydrogen ions when added to water. Some acids include:

• sulphuric acid, H2SO4
• hydrochloric acid, HCl
• nitric acid, HNO3
• phosphoric acid, H3PO4
• ethanoic acid, CH3COOH

An alkali is something that releases negative hydroxide ions when added to water. Alkalis you need to know include:

• Sodium hydroxide, NaOH
• Potassium hydroxide, KOH
• Ammonia, NH3

A base is a solid that reacts with an acid forming a salt and water. These include: metal hydroxides, metal oxides, and metal carbonates.

The pH scale

The pH scale is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a solution is and is dependant on the concentration of hydrogen ions. Concentration of hydrogen ions is measured in mol/dm3. And the pH scale is a -log[H+] scale.

Reactions of acids:

• acid +…