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Introduction to Chemistry: Acids and Bases

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  • What are common sources of acids in everyday life?

    Common sources include vinegar (acetic acid), lemon (citric acid), tomato (oxalic acid), apple (malic acid), grapes (tartaric acid), milk (lactic acid), and ants (formic acid).

  • What is a key property of acids related to taste?

    Acids have a sour taste.

  • How do acids react with metals like zinc?

    Acids dissolve many metals, such as zinc, producing hydrogen gas. Example: Zn + 2HCl → ZnCl2 + H2.

  • What color change occurs when acids are tested with blue litmus paper?

    Acids turn blue litmus paper red.

  • What are some common acids mentioned in chemistry?

    Hydrochloric acid (HCl), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), phosphoric acid (H3PO4), and acetic acid (CH3COOH).

  • What are the characteristic properties of bases?

    Bases have a bitter taste, a slippery feel, and turn red litmus paper blue.

  • Why do bases feel slippery to the touch?

    Bases react with oils on the skin to form soaplike substances, causing a slippery feel.

  • Name some common bases found in everyday products.

    Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3).

  • What happens to red and blue litmus paper in acidic, basic, and neutral solutions?

    Acidic: blue litmus turns red; red stays red. Basic: red litmus turns blue; blue stays blue. Neutral: both stay their original colors.

  • According to Arrhenius, what defines an acid?

    An acid produces \(H^+\) ions in aqueous solution.

  • According to Arrhenius, what defines a base?

    A base produces \(OH^-\) ions in aqueous solution.

  • What is the reaction when an acid and base are mixed?

    The \(H^+\) from the acid combines with the \(OH^-\) from the base to form water.

  • What are the products of an acid-base neutralization reaction?

    Water and a salt, where the salt contains the cation from the base and the anion from the acid.

  • What is the pH range of acidic, neutral, and basic solutions at 25 °C?

    pH < 7 is acidic, pH = 7 is neutral, and pH > 7 is basic.

  • How is pH calculated from hydronium ion concentration?

    pH = −log[\(H_3O^+\)]

  • What is the relationship between pH and acidity/basicity?

    Lower pH means higher acidity; higher pH means higher basicity.

  • What is the typical pH range of human blood?

    Between 7.35 and 7.45, which is slightly basic and tightly regulated for health.

  • What happens to the concentration of \(H_3O^+\) and \(OH^-\) ions in neutral water at 25 °C?

    Both concentrations are equal at 1.0 × 10−7 M.

  • What is the ion product constant for water at 25 °C?

    [\(H_3O^+\)][\(OH^-\)] = 1.0 × 10−14

  • How do acids ionize in water? Give an example with HCl.

    Acids ionize to produce \(H^+\) and their conjugate base ions. Example: HCl (aq) → \(H^+\) (aq) + Cl− (aq).