Name: __________________ Class: ______ Class No.
______
9 Common acids and alkalis
9.1 Common acids and alkalis (Book 2B, p. 2–8)
1 Acids have a sour taste.
Alkalis give a slippery feel. Some of them have a bitter taste.
2 Many foods and drinks contain acids. Acids are also present in some household products.
Foods and drinks containing acids Household products containing acids
3 Some foods and household products contain alkalis.
Foods containing alkalis Household products containing alkalis
4 Hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid and nitric acid are acids commonly used in the
laboratory.
1
5 Sodium hydroxide, ammonia solution and calcium hydroxide (lime water) are alkalis
commonly used in the laboratory.
6 Acids and alkalis can be irritant or corrosive. We must handle them with care and take safety
precautions.
7 Safety precautions when handling acids and alkalis in laboratory:
• Read the hazard warning symbols on the bottles of chemicals
and identify the risks of handling them.
• Wear a laboratory coat and disposable or protective gloves.
• Wear safety spectacles.
• Do NOT mix acids or alkalis with any other chemicals
without getting approval from your teacher.
• Pour waste solutions into suitable waste bottles. Do NOT
pour them into the sink.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after handling acids or alkalis. Waste bottle
8 If accidents involving acids or alkalis occur in the laboratory, keep calm and report them to
the teacher at once. Some emergency treatments:
In case acids or
Action
alkalis splash onto…
your skin Immediately wash the affected area under slow-running
water for at least 10 minutes
your eyes Immediately wash the affected eye(s) using an eye wash
bottle for at least 10 minutes
your clothes Carefully remove the affected clothes and avoid making
contact with any acids or alkalis on the clothes
9 Examples of uses of acids:
• For food preservation
• For stain removal
10 Examples of uses of alkalis:
• For making noodles
• For grease removal
2
9.2 Distinguishing acids and alkalis (Book 2B, p. 9–27)
1 Some plants contain pigments which show different colours in acidic and alkaline solutions.
Their extracts can be used as acid-alkali indicators to distinguish between acids and alkalis.
2 Litmus is an acid-alkali indicator commonly used in the laboratory. There are two kinds of
litmus: the blue litmus and the red litmus.
3 Litmus is available in solution form. It can be added to paper strips and dried to become
litmus paper.
4 The colour of blue and red litmus in different substances:
Colour in neutral
Colour in Colour in
Type of litmus substances (e.g.
acidic substances alkaline substances
distilled water)
Blue litmus red blue blue
Red litmus red red blue
5 The pH scale is used to describe the relative acidity or alkalinity of a substance.
• Acidic substances have pH values lower than 7.
• Neutral substances have a pH value of 7.
• Alkaline substances have pH values higher than 7.
neutral
pH value
more acidic more alkaline
6 Universal indicator and pH paper can be used to measure the pH values of substances.
7 A pH meter is an electronic instrument used to measure the pH values of solutions.
3
8 Advantages and disadvantages of measuring pH values using universal indicator and a
pH meter:
Using universal indicator Using a pH meter
• Convenient (calibration is • Suitable for solutions of any
not needed) colours
• Less solution is needed • Can be reused
• Reading error is small due to
Advantage the small interval between
readings;
with proper calibration, the
measured pH value is more
accurate
• Not suitable for • Calibration is needed
dark-coloured solutions • More solution is needed
Disadvantage • Cannot be reused
• Measurement is subjective
and less accurate
4
9.3 Neutralization (Book 2B, p. 28–44)
1 When an alkali is added to an acid, the pH value of the resulting solution increases.
When an acid is added to an alkali, the pH value of the resulting solution decreases.
2 When the pH of the resulting solution reaches 7, the solution becomes neutral. The acid and
the alkali neutralize each other.
3 During neutralization, salt and water are formed, and thermal energy is released.
4 Word equation for neutralization:
acid + alkali salt + water
5 The mass of reactants and products is conserved in neutralization.
6 Some applications of neutralization:
• Treating stomach ache with antacid:
Antacid is alkaline. It helps neutralize excess acid in stomach to relieve pain.
• Brushing teeth with toothpaste:
Toothpaste is slightly alkaline. It neutralizes acids in the mouth cavity to prevent
tooth decay.
• Treating chemical waste from factories:
Chemical waste from factories may contain acids or alkalis. It should be neutralized
with suitable alkalis or acids before it is discharged.
• Treating insect stings and bites:
Bee stings, mosquito bites and ant bites are acidic. The affected area can be treated with
soap solution. The alkali in soap solution helps neutralize the acids in the sting or bite.
Wasp stings are alkaline. It can be treated with vinegar. The acid in vinegar helps
neutralize the alkali in the stings.
• Regulating soil acidity and alkalinity:
Lime is alkaline. It can be added to acidic soil to neutralize acids in the soil to raise the
pH value.
Sulphur added to the soil can be converted to sulphuric acid. The acid lowers the pH
value by neutralizing the alkalis in the soil.
5
8.5 Electrical circuits (Book 2A, p.141–150)
1 In a series circuit,
• current flows along one path only;
• the current is the same at all points;
• the sum of the voltages across each appliance is equal to the voltage of the energy
source.
2 If a series circuit is broken at any point, current will not flow in the circuit.
3 In a parallel circuit,
• current can flow in more than one path;
• the current in the main loop is equal to the sum of the currents in the branches;
• the voltage across each branch is the same;
• the current flowing in the branch with a lower resistance is larger.
4 If a parallel circuit is broken at any branch, current will flow in other branches.
7
8.6 Household electricity (Book 2A, p.151–170)
1 The appliances at home are supplied with mains electricity.
2 The mains voltage in Hong Kong is 220 V.
3 Electrical appliances are energy converters. They convert electrical energy to other forms of
energy.
4 Many household appliances make use of the heating and magnetic effects of current.
• The heating element of some appliances becomes hot when a current flows through it.
Most of the electrical energy is converted to thermal energy.
• The electric motors of some appliances make the moving part rotate using the magnetic
effect of current. They convert electrical energy into kinetic energy.
5 Wall socket in Hong Kong:
earth hole switch
neutral hole live hole
8
6 A three-pin plug:
earth pin
live pin
neutral pin
7 The wires of a three-pin plug and their colours:
earth wire
fuse
(green and yellow)
neutral wire (blue)
live wire (brown)
flex grip
8 Electricity is supplied to our homes through the live wire and the neutral wire.
9 All sockets are connected in parallel in a domestic circuit.
• Switching on or off each appliance does not affect the operation of other appliances.
• Each socket offers the same voltage for any appliances plugged in.
9
10 When several electrical appliances are connected to a single mains socket via a universal
adaptor or an extension unit:
If too many electrical the current flowing
appliances are connected through the socket may
to a single mains socket, become very large.
The strong heating effect
on the mains circuit may
Overloading may occur.
result in a fire.
11 To avoid overloading, we should connect appliances that draw a large current to different
main sockets.
12 In the case of a short circuit:
The wire connected in parallel to the
bulb provides a branch with very low
resistance for current to flow. The bulb
is said to be short-circuited.
Since resistance of the wire is very
This may overheat the circuit or
low, the current flowing through it
cause a fire.
becomes large.
13 Fuse rating shows the maximum current the fuse can stand.
14 The circuit symbol for a fuse:
In a fuse, there is a
metal wire with a low
melting point.
10
15 If the current passing through a fuse is larger than the fuse rating, the fuse will blow and cut
off the current. This prevents the circuit from overheating.
16 A suitable fuse should have a rating slightly higher than the normal operating current of the
electrical appliance.
17 A circuit breaker turns to the ‘OFF’ mode and cuts off
the current when the current exceeds its rating.
18 A circuit breaker can be reset by switching it back to
the ‘ON’ mode.
Circuit breakers in consumer unit
19 The earth wire connects the metal case of an electrical
appliance to the ground. It protects us from an electric shock.
20 Function of the earth wire:
If the live wire becomes loose large current flows to the ground through the
and touches the metal case of an earth wire and blow the fuse which
electrical appliance, disconnect the appliance from mains supply.
The current from the mains is cut off.
This protects us from an electric shock.
21 Safety precautions in using electricity:
We should… We should NOT…
✓ use three-pin plugs with an earth wire. ✗ overload sockets.
✓ only switch on an appliance after firmly ✗ cover appliances while they are
plugging it into a socket outlet. working.
✓ use fuses with suitable fuse ratings. ✗ let water seep into any appliances.
✓ ask a registered electrical worker to ✗ touch sockets or switches with wet
immediately replace damaged cables, hands.
sockets and plugs.
11
E 8.7 Power and efficiency (Book 2A, p.171–181)
1 The electrical power of an appliance is the amount of electrical energy transferred to the
appliance in one second.
energy
2 Power =
time
3 The unit of power is the watt (W). 1 W = 1 J/s
A larger unit of power is the kilowatt (kW). 1 kW = 1000 W
4 The power rating is the power of the appliance when it is working at the indicated voltage
rating.
5 The electrical energy consumed by the appliance can be calculated by:
Energy = power × time
6 The efficiency of an electrical appliance tells us what percentage of the power input is
converted to useful power output.
useful power output
Efficiency = × 100%
power input
7 An appliance with high efficiency uses less power to do the same job than one with low
efficiency.
8 We can find an energy label on many appliances. Grade 1 products are the most efficient
while grade 5 products are the least efficient.
9 A joulemeter can be used to measure the electrical energy consumed by appliances in
joules (J).
10 A kilowatt-hour meter measures the electrical energy in a large
unit called kilowatt-hour (kW h).
1 kW h = (1000 W) × (60 × 60 s) = 3 600 000 J
A kilowatt-hour meter
12
11 The amount of electrical energy consumed by an electrical appliance can be read from
the kilowatt-hour (218.7 kW h in the photo below).
12 The kilowatt-hour (kW h) is a unit of electrical energy for calculating the cost of electricity.
13 Ways to save electricity at home:
• Choose energy efficient appliances, i.e. appliances with Grade 1 energy label.
• Do not leave the appliances in standby mode. Always switch off or plug off
appliances from power source after use.
• Switch lighting on only when you need it. Use daylight whenever possible.
• Running air conditioner and fan together to spread the cooled air more effectively.
• Remove battery charger from mains socket after charging is completed.
13