1. Acids, Bases and Salts

2. What do these things all have in common?

3. Acids
They taste sour.
As a matter of fact, the word acid comes from the latin term “acere” which means sour.
If you check the ingredients of many foods, you will see that they may contain acetic acid (vinegar ) and citric acid (found in oranges).

4. Acids Acids are very important substances.
They are why lemons taste sour.
They digest food in our stomachs.
They dissolve rocks to make fertilizer.
They dissolve tooth enamel to form cavities.

5. H2SO4 (aq)
Sulfuric acid is the most common chemical manufactured in the United States.
80 billion pounds are used every year to manufacture fertilizers, detergents, plastics, pharmaceuticals, storage batteries and metals.

6. The Bad and the Ugly

7. Acid Rain
Nature does produce acid-forming compounds. Volcanoes, for example, produce SO2
Unfortunately, industries produce far greater quantities of it.
SO2 + H2O  H2SO3(aq)
Roughly 2/3 of all SO2 and ¼ of all NOx produced come from electric power generation that relies on burning fossil fuels such as coal.

8. Effects of Acid Rain
It causes the acidification of lakes and streams and contributes to the damage of trees at high elevation and many sensitive forest soils.
It also accelerates the decay of building materials and paints.

9. Bases
How do bases feel and taste?

10. Bases A major use for bases is in cleaning: Soaps and detergents
Bases also help make soils and lakes less acidic
For instance, in order to increase the pH of soil, we can add lime (CaO) or chalk. This use in agriculture is why gypsum is technically not considered a mineral…farmers would dig it up out of their fields and use it for conditioning their soil.

11. Characteristics of Bases
Bases are bitter (if edible)
They feel soapy (bases make soaps!)
They turn red litmus paper blue
They neutralize acids
Recognized by a metal with hydroxide
Ie NaOH, NH4OH, LiOH etc

12. Characteristics of Acids
Sour taste (if edible)
Turn blue litmus paper red
React with active metals to produce hydrogen gas
Conduct electricity
Neutralize bases
Feel slippery – like your fingerprints have been dissolved away…

13. Neutralization = Salts
They conduct electricity but do not change the color of litmus paper. These are formed by any reaction of a base and an acid – the products are always water and a salt (ionic substance).