Acids and Bases

• Examples of everyday acids are citrus fruits, carbonic acid (rain water) and sulfuric acid (car batteries)
• Properties of acids: sour tasting, corrosive
• Examples of everyday bases are soap, toothpaste and most cleaning chemicals
• Base properties: corrosive
• A base dissolved in water is called an alkali
• Ph scale goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral (water is 7)
• Under 7 on the pH scale is acidic
• Over 7 on the pH scale is basic
• Indicator: a chemical that changes colour depending on the pH
• Universal indicator: format: solution or paper dyed with universal indicator. limitation: some colour shades are very similar, human error can occur
• Methyl orange: red is acid, pink is for neutral, yellow for base
• Acid-base litmus paper: blue paper turns red in acid, red paper turns blue is base. limitation: can only tell if the substance is an acid or base, not the pH
• Digital pH meter is the most accurate