CBSE CLASS 7 CHAPTER 5

ACIDS, BASES AND SALTS

CLASS: VII STUDY NOTES SCIENCE

Acids, bases and salts are the three important groups of chemical compounds which are useful
in many ways. Some acids, bases and salts occur in nature whereas many acids, bases and salts
are made artificially in factories.

1. Acids
• An acid is a chemical substance that has a sour taste.
• Many food items such as lemons, curd, vinegar and orange taste sour because of the presence
of acid in them.

Acids

organic mineral
acids acids
• Names of organic and mineral acids are given in table below:
Organic acids Mineral acids
Acetic acid hydrochloric acid
Formic acid sulphuric acid
Citric acid nitric acid
Lactic acid
Tartaric acid
Ascorbic acid
Oxalic acid

Natural acids/organic acids are the acids that occur in nature.

Natural acids found in

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Acetic acid Vinegar
Formic acid Ant’s sting
Citric acid Citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges
Lactic acid Curd and sour milk
Tartaric acid Tamarind, unripe mangoes and grapes
Ascorbic acid(vitamin C) Amla and citrus fruits
Oxalic acid Spinach

• Organic acids are weak acids and as it occurs naturally it will not harm us when consumed.
• Carbonic acid is weak acid formed by dissolving carbon-dioxide and water.

Mineral acids/ laboratory acids are prepared from the minerals of the earth.
• They are man-made and can be used in laboratories for performing experiments.
• Mineral acids are strong acids.

Uses of mineral acids:

• Hydrochloric acid is used in cleaning kitchen sinks, bathrooms, etc.
• Sulphuric acid is used in making storage batteries for cars, truck, inverters, etc.
• Nitric acid is used by goldsmiths for cleaning gold and silver ornaments.
• Concentrated acids are very dangerous as it may burn our body and clothes if they are
not handled properly.

Acids are never stored in metal containers. They are rather stored in glass containers. This is
so because acids are generally reactive in nature. If we keep them in metal containers they may
react with the metal and erode them. Glass, on the other hand, does not react with acids at all.

Acid Rain

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• When the rainwater has increased amounts of acids or rain which contains higher level of
acid in it, it is called Acid Rain.
• The acid rain is formed because of the presence of air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide,
carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide in the air.
• These pollutants mix with the rainwater and form acids such as nitric acid, sulphuric acid and
carbonic acid respectively.
• Acid rain severely affects the vegetation, animal life, buildings and monuments of the region
where it falls.
• Acid rain makes the water of lakes, ponds and rivers acidic due to which aquatic animals die.
• Leaves of the trees start dying and also damages crops in the field by making soil too acidic.
• It damages metal structures like steel bridges and surface of buildings and monuments.

2. Bases

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• A base is a chemical substance that has a bitter taste and a soapy texture.
• Bases are found in different substances such as bleach, ammonia, washing powder and soap.
• Bases which are soluble in water are called Alkali.
• Examples of bases are: sodium hydroxide(caustic soda), potassium hydroxide(caustic
potash), calcium hydroxide(lime water), magnesium hydroxide(milk of magnesia),
ammonium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogencarbonate.

Bases

strong weak
base base
• Names of strong and weak base are given in table below:
Strong base Weak base
Sodium hydroxide Calcium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide Ammonium hydroxide
Sodium carbonate
Magnesium hydroxide
Sodium hydrogencarbnate

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• Neutral Substance is any substance which is neither acidic nor basic in nature.
For example: pure water (distilled water), glucose, canesugar, and common salt.

3. Indicators
• We cannot taste every object and find its nature. Therefore, we use indicators.
• An indicator is a substance that can determine if another substance is acidic or basic in
nature.
• The indicators indicate the presence of an acid or base in a substance by changing their
colour.

Indicators

Natural Synthetic

China rose litmus turmeric phenolphthalein methyl orange

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China Rose
China rose petals are kept in warm water and a coloured solution is obtained from that. This
coloured solution is used as an indicator to test other substances.
• Acid turns China rose indicator to magenta.
• Base turns China rose indicator to green.

Litmus
• Litmus is a natural indicator which is obtained from Lichens.
• Litmus is available in a solution form and paper strips (red litmus and blue litmus paper).
• When blue litmus paper is added to acidic solution, it turns into red and when red litmus
paper is added to basic solution, it turns into blue.

Turmeric

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 • To use turmeric as an indicator it is generally mixed with water to form a paste which is then
put on blotting paper and dried to form thin strips of turmeric paper.
• The turmeric paper is then put into the solutions in order to determine their acidic or alkali
nature.
• Sometimes turmeric solution is also used as an indicator.
• Turmeric turns yellow (no change) in acidic solution.
• Turmeric turns red in basic solution.
• Many times we have noticed that a yellow stain of curry on a white shirt turns red when soap
is scrubbed on it. This is due to the fact that soap is basic in nature which changes the colour
of turmeric into red.

Phenolphthalein indicator
• It is a synthetic (man-made) indicator.
• It is colourless in acidic solution.
• It gives pink colour in basic solution.

Name of Acid/Base Effect on litmus paper Effect on tumeric paper Effect on China rose solution

Hydrochloric acid Blue litmus paper turns red No change Turns dark pink

Sulphuric acid Blue litmus paper turns red No change Turns dark pink

Nitric acid Blue litmus paper turns red No change Turns dark pink

Acetic acid Blue litmus paper turns red No change Turns dark pink

Sodium hydroxide Red litmus paper turns blue Turns red Turns green

Ammonium hydroxide Red litmus paper turns blue Turns red Turns green

Calcium hydroxide Red litmus paper turns blue Turns red Turns green

Difference between acids and bases:

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 Acids bases
It is sour in taste It is bitter in taste
Turns blue litmus paper to red Turns red litmus paper to blue
Acids does not give soapy touch Bases are soapy to touch
pH is less than 7 pH is more than 7
It turns China rose indicator to magenta It turns China rose indicator to green
It turns turmeric indicator into yellow(no change) It turns turmeric indicator into red
Phenolphthalein indicator is colourless in acidic Phenolphthalein indicator gives pink colour in basic
solution. solution

4. Neutralization
• Neutralization is a process or a chemical reaction in which an acidic and basic substance is
mixed with each other in order to neutralize their acidic and alkali nature.
• The product that is formed after the neutralization process is called salt.
• The neutralization process results in the generation of heat which raises the temperature of
the reacting mixture.
• Phenolphthalein indicator is used for carrying out neutralization.

Formation of Salt
Acid + base → salt + water (heat is evolved)
For example:
Sodium hydroxide + hydrochloric acid → sodium chloride + water (heat is evolved)

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Neutralization in Everyday Life
Indigestion
• We know that our stomach produces hydrochloric acid which helps in the digestion of food.
But sometimes the stomach releases too much of acid which leads to indigestion or
sometimes hyperacidity.
• Hence, we need to neutralize this acid by taking substances that are basic in nature commonly
known as antacids.
• For Example, milk of magnesia, which contains magnesium hydroxide is a basic substance
that can neutralize the acid of the stomach.

Ant Bite
• The irritation of the skin due to ant bite is caused because of the presence of formic acid that
the ant injects into the skin while biting.
• Hence we use a basic substance to neutralize the effect.
• For example, moist baking soda and calamine solution are generally used to treat ant bites.

Soil Treatment
• Plants need a soil which is neutral in nature but using chemical fertilizers on soil can turn it
into acidic.
• To treat acidic soil we use quicklime (calcium oxide) or slaked lime (calcium hydroxide).
• Basic soil can be treated by organic matter. Organic matter contains microorganisms which
releases acid, thus neutralizing the soil.

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Factory Wastes
The factory waste is acidic in nature and cannot be directly dumped anywhere. Hence bases are
added to it before it falls off into a river or stream so that the aquatic life does not get affected.

5. pH scale
• The measure of acidic or basic nature of a substance can be determined by its pH value.
• The pH value range from 0 to 14 with 0 being the most acidic substance and 14 being the
most basic substance while 7 is a neutral substance.
• The pH value is generally determined by using pH strips or solutions.

pH scale showing different colours

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