Naming and Identifying Acids and Bases

Naming Acids that contain Hydrogen The symbol for hydrogen, H, tends to appear on the either the left or the right hand side of a formula of an acid Example: HCl (aq) – hydrochloric acid The organic acid group: -COOH has hydrogen on the right, such as acetic acid – CH3COOH(aq)

Naming Acids than contain Oxygen Follow a different naming system based on the name of the anion If the anion ends in “-ate,” then the name of the acid that is derived from it ends in “-ic” Example: H2SO4(aq) contains the sulfate anion (SO42-), an anion whose name ends in the suffix “-ate” In this case the acid’s name begins with “sulfur” (the first element of the anion) and ends with “-ic” It is called sulfuric acid Name H3PO4(aq) and HNO3(aq)

Recognizing bases by their formulas The presence of the hydroxide ion (OH-) with a metal ion or the ammonium ion usually indicates that a substance is basic Example: NaOH(s) forms a base when dissolved in water Consider any compound with high solubility and OH on the right side of the formula to be a base

Common Bases Base Name Common Name NaOH(s) Sodium hydroxide Caustic soda KOH(s) Potassium hydroxide Caustic potash NH4OH(aq) Ammonium hydroxide Ammonia solution Ca(OH)2(s) Calcium hydroxide Slaked lime Mg(OH)2(s) Magnesium hydroxide Milk of magnesia Al(OH)3(s) Aluminium hydroxide -

Acids and Bases in the Home Bases are excellent at dissolving and dislodging oil and grease and at being an oxidizing agent (has the ability to break down stains into colorless compounds) Shampoos are slightly acidic so they do not strip out oils in you scalp and hair

Neutralization When acids and bases react together, both acidic and basic properties disappear This is neutralization Neutralization is the reaction between an acid and base that produces water and a compound called a salt Example: ammonia on a bee sting (methanioc acid)