ACIDS AND BASES

- Are classes of compounds.

Examples of acids:

are acetic acid in vinegar and citric acid in fruit juices. The solution used for

cleaning toilet bowls and tiles is 10-12% hydrochloric acid. It is commonly called

muriatic acid.

An example of a base :

is sodium hydroxide used in making soaps and drain cleaners. Sodium hydroxide is also called

lye or caustic soda. A common drain cleaner used in most homes in the Philippines

is called sosa. Another base is aluminum hydroxide used in antacids.

Indicator, a dye that changes into a specific color depending on whether it

is placed in an acidic solution or in a basic one.

1.How can you tell if a mixture is acidic or basic?

An indicator is a dye that changes into a different color depending on whether it is in acid or in base.

A common indicator is litmus, a dye taken from the lichen plant. Litmus turns red in acidic mixtures and becomes blue in basic
mixtures.

Background Information on Indicators

The red, purple, and blue colors of most flowers and some vegetables contain compounds called anthocyanins. A typical
anthocyanin is red in acid, purple in neutral, and blue in basic solution. The eggplant extract shows yellow in a strong base since it
contains anthoxanthins (colorless in acid, yellow in base) in addition to anthocyanins. Note that anthocyanins and anthoxanthins are
usually present in many plants. The green color is a mixture of blue and yellow. Colors of anthocyanins in neutral to basic condition
are very unstable. The purple, blue, and green colors will fade and eventually turn to yellow upon exposure to air.

2. Color range, pH range

You can now operationally distinguish between acidic and basic mixtures using plant indicators. More than that, using the plant
extract you have prepared allowed you to further determine the degree of acidity or basicity of a mixture, that is, you were able to
find out how strongly acidic or basic the mixtures were.

Another method can be used to indicate the acidity or basicity of mixtures. It

3. What happens to metals when exposed to acids?

Rust is hydrated iron or iron (III) hydroxide, Fe(OH)3, sometimes written as Fe2O3∙3H2O. This layer does not securely stick to the
surface of the iron. It

lakes off, weakening the metal and leaving it exposed to further rusting and structural decay.
Iron forms rust upon prolonged exposure to oxygen and moisture in the

air and in the presence of acid. Recall that the acid used in Activity 3 is vinegar,

which is about 4.5 to 5% acetic acid.

Importance of pH

1. pH and the Human Body

Acids and bases perform specific functions to balance the pH levels in the body. When your body has too much carbon dioxide, the
blood becomes too acidic. You breathe slowly. Breathing is slowed to increase the pH in the blood. If pH in the body is too basic,
you will hyperventilate to lower the pH. This acid and base control is an important part of biological homeostasis (balance) in
humans. In fact, human life is sustained only if the pH of our blood and body tissues is within a small range near 7.4.

2. Use of pH in Food Processing and Fruit Preservation

During food processing, pH is closely followed. Changes in pH affect the growth of microorganisms, which cause food spoilage. Most
bacteria grow best at or near pH 7. To prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, pickling is an effective food preservation method
because it lowers pH.

The control of pH is also needed in wine and jam preparation. A few species of bacteria grow in a basic medium of pH 9-10. This is
the pH range of stale eggs. Most molds grow within the pH range of 2- 8.5. In acidic conditions, many fruits and products made from
fruits are easily attacked by molds unless the fruits are properly protected.

3. Control of pH in Soil

The pH of soil is very important. Some plants grow well in acidic soil while others prefer basic soil. Farmers need to know the pH of
their soil since plants will only grow in a narrow pH range. The pH also affects how much nutrients from the soil become available to
plants.

The following useful plants in the Philippines grow in acidic soils: banana, kaimito, durian, pineapple, soybean, coffee, eggplant,
squash, kamote, and rice. Other plants like grapes and pechay require basic soils. Some plants grow best in almost neutral soil like
orange, peanut, watermelon, beans, cabbage, tomato, corn garlic, and onion.

4. pH of Rainwater

The average pH of rain is 5.6. This slightly acidic pH is due to the presence of carbon dioxide in the air. In many areas of the world,
rainwater is much more acidic, sometimes reaching pH 3 or even lower.

Rain with a pH below 5.6 is called “acid rain.” The acidic pollutants in the air that come from the burning of fuels used in power
plants, factories, and vehicles produce gases which are acidic. These gases enter the atmosphere and dissolve in

water vapor in the air. Some acid rain is due to natural pollutants like those from volcanic eruptions and lightning.

Maintaining pH of Personal Care Products

Most personal care products have pH kept at specific levels to avoid harmful effects on the body. This is true for hair products. For
example, at pH 12, hair already dissolves, that is why hair removers usually have pH of 11.5 to12. Most shampoos are within the pH
range of 4 to 6. This is because the pH of the product must be compatible with that of the hair, which is in the range pH 4 to 5. Hair
is least swollen and is strongest at this pH range. But very often, using shampoo leaves the hair basic. So, in order to avoid eye
irritation and stinging, shampoos for infants and children have a pH similar to that of tears (pH 7.4).

Hair has a protective covering called sebum. The use of conditioners after using shampoo puts back this oily coating and penetrates
the hair shaft itself.

Now that you have discussed with your teacher the importance of keeping the proper pH in the human body, in food processing and
food preservation, in farming and in personal care products, it is also essential that you know the effects of acids on some common
metals. An important property of acids is their tendency to react with certain metals. At higher grade levels, you will learn that the
nature of the metal determines how it is affected by specific types of acid. However, in this grade level, you will simply investigate
the effect of an acid on a common metal like iron.

Effect of an Acidic Mixture on Metal

What do you think will happen when an acid and a metal come in contact with each other? What happens after the metal has been
in contact with the acid for some time? What changes take place?

Safety in Handling Acids and Bases

Now that you know the properties of acidic and basic mixtures, you can handle them carefully. Acids and bases with high
concentrations can cause serious burns. For example, hydrochloric acid (commonly called muriatic acid) is used in construction to
remove excess mortar from bricks and in the home to remove hardened deposits from toilet bowls. Concentrated solutions of
hydrochloric acid (about 38%) cause severe burns, but dilute solutions can be used safely in the home if handled carefully. You can
find the following caution in a bottle of muriatic acid:

Harmful or fatal if swallowed. Strong irritant to eye, skin, and mucous membrane. Do not take internally. Avoid contact with eyes,
nose and mouth. Use only in well ventilated areas. Keep tightly sealed. Do not store above 60oC. Keep out of reach

of children.

Acidic mixtures can easily “eat away” your skin and can make holes in clothes. However, since vinegar is only 5% acetic acid, it
will not irritate the skin and destroy clothes.

Sodium hydroxide (commonly called lye or liquid sosa) is used to open clogged kitchen and toilet pipes, sinks, and drains. Its
product label shows the following warning:

POISON. Avoid contact with any part of the body. Causes severe eyes and skin damage and burns. Store in a cool dry place and
locked cabinet. Harmful or fatal if swallowed.

For your safety, you should make it a habit to read product labels before using them. It is also important to know the proper way of
storing these products, as shown in the label of Liquid Sosa.

What happens when acids and bases combine?

Look back at the pH color chart of Activity 2. You will find a pH value that is not acidic or basic. Mixtures that are not acidic or basic
are called neutral. When an acid mixes with a base, water and salt are produced. Such a process is called neutralization.

If a basic mixture is added to an acidic mixture, the resulting mixture will no

longer have the properties of the acidic mixture. In the same way, if enough acidic mixture is added to a basic mixture, the
properties of the basic mixture are changed. This is because the acid and the base in each of the mixtures neutralize each other to
produce a mixture with a different set of properties.

The process of neutralization has some uses in everyday life. The following are some examples:

Treating indigestion. The acid in our stomach, gastric juice, is hydrochloric acid with low concentration. It helps in the digestion of
food. If we eat too much food, the stomach produces more acid which leads to indigestion and pain. To cure indigestion, the
excess acid must be neutralized by tablets called antacids. These contain bases to neutralize the excess acid in the stomach.

Using toothpaste to avoid tooth decay. Bacteria in the mouth can change sweet types of food into acid. The acid then attacks the
outermost part of the tooth and leads to tooth decay. Toothpaste contains bases that can neutralize the acid in the mouth.

Treating soil. You will recall in the earlier part of this module that some plants grow well in acidic soil while others prefer basic soil.
Farmers need to know the pH of their soil. Most often, the soil gets too acidic. When this happens, the soil is treated with bases
such as quicklime (calcium oxide), slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) or calcium carbonate. The base is usually spread on the soil by
spraying.

Treating factory waste. Liquid waste from factories often contains acid. If this waste reaches a river, the acid will kill fish and other
living things. This problem can be prevented by adding slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) to the waste in order to neutralize it.