AMITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, NOIDA

CLASS VII (2023-24)

SCIENCE
CH-4: ACIDS, BASES & SALTS
HANDOUT-I

Q1. What are acids?

Acids are chemical substances which:
i. have a sour taste,
ii. turn blue litmus paper to red,
iii. are acidic/corrosive in nature,
iv. are soluble in water.
Acids are of two types:
i. organic acids
ii. inorganic/mineral acids
Examples:

• Citric Acid (Organic)

• Hydrochloric Acid (Mineral)

Q2. Complete the following table:

SOURCE ACID PRESENT
1) Vinegar Acetic Acid
2) Orange, Lemon Citric Acid
3) Amla Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
4) Grape, tamarind, unripe mango Tartaric Acid
5) Spinach, Tomato Oxalic Acid
6) Curd Lactic Acid
7) Stomach juice Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)
8) Ant’s sting, bee sting Formic Acid

Q3. What are bases?

Bases are chemical substances which:
i. have a bitter taste and are soapy in touch,
ii. turn red litmus paper to blue,
iii. are basic/alkaline in nature,
iv. may or may not be soluble in water.
Examples:
Calcium Hydroxide (CaOH), Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), etc.

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Q4. Complete the following table:
SOURCE BASES PRESENT
1) Lime water Calcium Hydroxide
2) Window cleaner Ammonium Hydroxide
3) Soap Sodium Hydroxide / Potassium Hydroxide
4) Milk of Magnesia Magnesium Hydroxide

To prepare limewater, take some water in a tumbler and add some lime (chuna) into it.
Stir the solution and keep it for some time. This is lime water.

Q5. State differences between acids and bases. [NCERT Q1]

ACIDS BASES
Acids are chemical substances which: Bases are chemical substances which:

i) have a sour taste, i) have a bitter taste and are soapy in touch,
ii) turn blue litmus paper to red, ii) turn red litmus paper to blue,
iii) are acidic/corrosive in nature, iii) are basic/alkaline in nature,
iv) are soluble in water. iv) may be or may not be soluble in water.
Eg: Citric Acid (Organic), Eg: Calcium Hydroxide [Ca(OH)2],
Hydrochloric Acid (Mineral) Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), etc.

Q5. Ammonia is found in many household products, such as window cleaners. It turns red
litmus blue. What is its nature? [NCERT Q2]

• Property: Bases turn red litmus paper to blue.

• Hence, ammonia is basic in nature as it turns red litmus blue.

Q6. What are salts?

A salt is a new chemical substance formed by the reaction of an acid with a base (neutralization
reaction).
ACID + BASE → SALT + WATER + HEAT

Q7. What are indicators?

Indicators are substances that change their colour when added to an acidic or basic solution.
Thus, indicators help in identifying acids and bases.
They are of two types:
i. Natural – these are found in nature
Eg: litmus, china rose, turmeric
ii. Synthetic – these are prepared in labs
Eg: phenolphthalein, methyl orange

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Q8. How do indicators help in identifying weather a given substance is acidic and basic?
The indicators change their colour when added to a solution containing an acidic or a basic
substance.
Examples:
i. Litmus:
Acids turn blue litmus to red.
Bases turn red litmus to blue.
ii. China Rose Indicator:
Acids turn China Rose Indicator to magenta.
Bases turn China Rose Indicator to green.
iii. Turmeric:
Turmeric colour (yellow) remains unchanged with Acids.
Bases turn yellow turmeric colour to red.

INDICATORS AND THEIR COLOUR CHANGE IN ACIDS AND BASES

INDICATOR ACID BASE
Red Litmus Paper No change Blue
Blue Litmus Paper Red No change
China Rose solution Dark pink Green
Turmeric Paper No change Red
Phenolphthalein Colourless Pink
Methyl Orange Red/Pink Yellow

Q9. Name the source from which litmus solution is obtained. What is the use of this
solution? [NCERT Q3]
LITMUS: A NATURAL DYE

• Litmus is extracted from lichens.

• It is the most commonly used natural indicator.
• It has a mauve (purple) colour in distilled water.
• When added to an acidic solution, it turns red and when added to a basic solution, it turns
blue.
• Thus, it is used as an indicator to identify weather a given substance is acidic and basic.

Q10. Blue litmus paper is dipped in a solution. It remains blue. What is the nature of the
solution? Explain. [NCERT Q10]

The nature of this solution is basic because when added to a basic solution, litmus remains blue.

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Q11. How does turmeric react with acidic and basic solutions?
Turmeric is a natural indicator. Turmeric paper is yellow in colour. It reacts with acidic and basic
solutions as following:
i. it remains yellow in acidic solution.
ii. it turns to red colour in basic solution.

Q12. How does china rose react with acidic and basic solutions?
China rose is a natural indicator. China rose indicator is a light pink coloured solution which is
extracted from the red flowers of China rose plant with water.
i. It turns acidic solutions to magenta.
ii. It turns basic solutions to green.

Give Reasons: Phenolphthalien is an indicator.

Q13. How does phenolphthalein react with acidic and basic solutions?
Phenolphthalein is a synthetic indicator. It reacts with acidic and basic solutions as following:
i. it turns colourless in acidic solution.
ii. it turns pink in basic solution.

Q14. What is acid rain?

• The rain containing excess of acids is called an acid rain.

• The rain becomes acidic because carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide
(which are released into the air as pollutants) dissolve in rain drops to form carbonic acid,
sulphuric acid and nitric acid respectively.
• Acid rain can cause damage to buildings, historical monuments, plants and animals.

**Differentiate between OXALIC ACID and NITRIC ACID.**

Q15. Why should great care be taken while handling laboratory acids and bases?
Great care should be taken while handling laboratory acids and bases because these are corrosive
in nature, irritating and harmful to skin.

Q16. What are neutral solutions?

• The solutions which do not change the colour of either red or blue litmus are known as neutral
solutions.
• These substances are neither acidic nor basic.
• Eg: water, NaCl, sugar, etc.

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Q17. Is the distilled water acidic/basic/neutral? How would you verify it? [NCERT Q4]

• Distilled water is neutral.

• Litmus paper can be used to verify this.
• Distilled water will not change the colour of either litmus paper.
• A neutral substance doesn't change the colour of litmus paper.
• So, it is neutral in nature.

Q18. Describe the process of neutralisation with the help of an example. [NCERT Q5]

• The reaction between an acid and a base is known as neutralisation.

• Salt and water are produced in this process with the evolution of heat.
• Acid + Base → Salt + Water (Heat is evolved)
• For example:
HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H2O
Hydrochloric acid Sodium hydroxide Sodium chloride Water

Q19. Three liquids are given to you. One is hydrochloric acid, another is sodium hydroxide
and third is a sugar solution. How will you identify them? You have only turmeric indicator.
[NCERT Q9]
Property of turmeric indicator: its colour (yellow) remains unchanged in acidic and neutral solution
and turns red in basic solution.

• Firstly, we will put turmeric in all three given solutions. The solution in which it turns red will be
the base, i.e., sodium hydroxide.
• Then, we will add the base to other two solutions, i.e., hydrochloric acid and the sugar solution.
• The turmeric in the sugar solution will turn red upon addition of sodium hydroxide as the
solution will turn basic.
• Whereas the turmeric in the hydrochloric solution will remain unchanged as the solution will
become neutral upon addition of the base.
• Thus, this way we can identify the three solutions and this is the required answer.

Q20. Boojho added dilute Sulphuric Acid [H2SO4] to Limewater [Ca(OH)2]. Will the reaction
mixture become hot or cool?
When dilute Sulphuric Acid [H2SO4] to Limewater [Ca(OH)2], Calcium Sulphate [CaSO4] is formed.
The reaction mixture becomes hot as heat is released.
Chemical equation:
dil. Sulphuric Acid + Limewater → Calcium Sulphate + Water
H2SO4 Ca(OH)2 CaSO4 H2O
(Heat is evolved)

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Q21. Explain why: [NCERT Q8]
(a) An antacid tablet is taken when you suffer from acidity.
Antacid, being a base (usually contains magnesium hydroxide), neutralises the effect of acid.
Hence it helps in relieving acidity.
(b) Calamine solution is applied on the skin when an ant bites.
When an ant bites, it injects the acidic liquid (formic acid) into the skin. Calamine solution, which
contains zinc carbonate, being a base, neutralises the effect of this acid.
(c) Factory waste is neutralised before disposing it into the water bodies.
Factory waste contains acids. If they are allowed to flow into the water bodies, the acids will kill
fish and other organisms. The factory wastes are, therefore, neutralised by adding basic
substances, before disposing it into the water bodies.
(d) Soil is treated before sowing plants.
Excessive use of chemical fertilisers makes the soil acidic. Plants do not grow well when the soil is
either too acidic or too basic. When the soil is too acidic, it is treated with bases like quick lime
(calcium oxide) or slaked lime (calcium hydroxide). If the soil is basic, organic matter (compost) is
added to it. Organic matter releases acids which neutralise the basic nature of the soil.
(e) Acid rain is a major consequence of air pollution.
The rain becomes acidic when pollutants like carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide
dissolve in rain drops to form carbonic acid, sulphuric acid and nitric acid respectively. These acids
come down along with rain as acid rain. Hence acid rain is a major consequence of air pollution.

Each cell in our body contains an acid, the deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA.
It controls every feature of the body such as our looks, colour of our eyes, our height etc.
Proteins that build part of our cells are also made of amino acids.
The fats in our body contain fatty acids.

HOTS

Q1. We cannot classify acids and bases on the basis of taste only. Explain by giving
example.

• Some acids and bases are highly strong and can cause harmful burns upon tasting.
• So, we cannot classify acids and bases on the basis of taste only.
• For eg, HCl (a strong acid) and NaOH (a strong base) can cause severe chemical burns if they
come in contact with our skin.

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Q2. Why it is advised not to store pickles in metallic container? Where can you store it?

• Pickles contain acids, which upon reaction with metals corrode them.
• Hence, they are not advised to keep in metal jars.
• Thus, they are kept in glass containers to avoid any reactions.

Q3. Tooth enamel is the hardest substance known but it gets destroyed by eating
chocolates. Explain.
When we eat chocolates, small pieces of these stick to our teeth. The bacteria present in our teeth
start decaying the food particles as a result of which small amount of acid is produced. This acid
results in the decaying of tooth enamel.

Q4. Look at the given reaction.

Hydrochloric acid + Sodium hydroxide (base) → Sodium chloride (salt) + Water
Sodium chloride formed in this reaction remains in solution form. Can we get solid sodium
chloride from this solution? Suggest a method (if any).

Q5. Paheli is suffering from indigestion due to acidity. Is it advisable to give her orange
juice in this situation and why?

Q6. Look at following figure: which shows solutions taken in test tubes A, B, C and D. What
colour is expected when a piece of red litmus paper is dropped in each test tube? Nature of
the solutions is given in the table for your help.

Q7. While playing in a park, a child was stung by a wasp. Some elders suggested applying
paste of baking soda and others lemon juice as remedy. Which remedy do you think is
appropriate and why?

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Q8.
a) Form a sentence using the following words – baking soda, ant bite, moist, effect,
neutralised, rubbing.
b) Boojho, Paheli and their friend Golu were provided with a test tube each containing
China rose solution which was pink in colour. Boojho added two drops of solution ‘A’ in his
test tube and got dark pink colour. Paheli added 2 drops of solution ‘B’ to her test tube and
got green colour. Golu added 2 drops of solution ‘C’ but could not get any change in colour.
Suggest the possible cause for the variation in their results.

Q9. You are provided with four test tubes containing sugar solution, baking soda solution,
tamarind solution, salt solution. Write down an activity to find the nature
(acidic/basic/neutral) of each solution.

Q10. You are provided with three test tubes A, B and C as shown in the following figure
with different liquids. What will you observe when you put:
(a) a piece of blue litmus paper in each test tube.
(b) a piece of red litmus paper in each test tube.
(c) a few drops of phenolphthalein solution to each test tube.

Q11. Paheli observed that most of the fish in the pond of her village were gradually dying.
She also observed that the waste of a factory in their village is flowing into the pond which
probably caused the fish to die.
(a) Explain why the fish were dying.
(b) If the factory waste is acidic in nature, how can it be neutralised?

Q12. Explain two neutralisation reactions related to daily life situation.

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 AMITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, NOIDA
CLASS VII (2023-2024)
SCIENCE
CH-4: ACIDS, BASES AND SALTS
WORKSHEET
LEVEL 1

Q1. Choose the correct option from the given answers:-

i. Colours of phenolphthalein indicator in acidic and basic medium, respectively are:

(a) pink and colourless

(b) colourless and pink

(c) blue and red

(d) red and blue

ii. Tap water is:

(a) acidic

(b) basic

(c) neutral

(d) depends on source

iii. Acid which is used as a source of vitamin C is:

(a) Citric Acid

(b) Carbonic Acid

(c) Boric Acid

(d) Tartaric Acid

iv. Neutralisation reaction is a:

(a) physical and reversible change

(b) physical and irreversible change

(c) chemical and reversible change

(d) chemical and irreversible change

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v. When the soil is too basic, plants do not grow well in it. To improve its quality what must be
added to the soil?

(a) Organic matter

(b) Quick lime

(c) Slaked lime

(d) Calamine solution

vi. Distilled water is:

(a) acidic

(b) basic

(c) neutral

(d) none of these

vii. Assertion- the reaction between an acid and a base is known as neutralisation reaction.

Reason- the neutralisation reaction forms salt and water as a product.

(a) Assertion and reason both are correct statement and reason is correct explanation for assertion.

(b) Assertion and reason both are correct statement and reason is not correct explanation for
assertion.

(c) Assertion is correct statement but reason is wrong statement.

(d) Assertion is wrong statement but reason is correct statement.

viii. Assertion- acid turns blue litmus red and bases turn red litmus blue.

Reason- substance which neither acid nor basic are called neutral.

(a) Assertion and reason both are correct statement and reason is correct explanation for assertion.

(b) Assertion and reason both are correct statement and reason is not correct explanation for
assertion.

(c) Assertion is correct statement but reason is wrong statement.

(d) Assertion is wrong statement but reason is correct statement.

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Q2. Fill in the blanks:-

i. Litmus is obtained from ____________________________________________.

ii. Chemical name of moist baking soda is ____________________________.

iii. The gas which escapes from aerated drinks is ______________________.

iv. The nature of common salt is _______________________________________.

v. White patches found under arm is __________________________________.

vi. One antacid is _______________________________________________________.

vii. Chemical name of window cleaner is _______________________________.

Q3. Match the following:-

Column-A Column-B

(a) Vinegar 1) Major Salt of Sea

(b) Fertilizer 2) Basic

(c) Sodium Chloride 3) Magnesium Hydroxide

(d) Lime Water 4) Acetic Acid

(e) Milk of Magnesia 5) Potassium Nitrate

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