Acids & Bases

What are acids and bases?

Acids and bases can be distinguished by the colour change that occurs when mixed
with certain indicators. The table below shows a summary of what chemicals we used
in the lab.

Chemical Colour in Universal Colour Litmus Paper Type of Chemical

Indicator goes
Hydrochloric Acid Red Red Acid
Sulfuric Acid Red Red Acid
Nitric Acid Red Red Acid
Ammonia Blue Blue Base
Sodium Hydroxide Purple Blue Base
Water Green No Change Neutral

pH
pH is a number that tells you whether something is an acid or a base, as well as how
strong or weak it is. The scale typically ranges from 0-14, though you can get values
outside this range.

The chart below shows what different pH values mean, as well as showing where
some common substances lie on the scale. Note that the colours you often see are
for universal indicator only.

Neutralisation Reactions

When an acid reacts with a base, this is called a neutralisation reaction. During this
reaction, the acid and base react to form water and a salt. The particular salt formed
depends what acid and base you use. If you have exactly equal amounts of acid
and base, all of the molecules react and you are left with only a salt and water. In this
case, the pH of the final solution is exactly 7. Below is an example of a neutralisation
reaction:
Hydrochloric Acid + Sodium Hydroxide  Sodium Chloride + Water.

This particular salt, Sodium Chloride, is the salt found in the ocean and in food. The
product is simply salt water!