Solutions, Acids, Bases, Salts & Indicators

1. INTRODUCTION
Hello Viewers Welcome to our lecture series on Some basics aspects of Chemistry. Today let us
understand the topics Solutions, Acids, Bases, salts and indicators. Let us study one by one.

Solutions:
A Solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In such a mixture, a
solute is substance dissolved in another substance, known as solvent.

Characteristics:
• A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances.
• The particles of solute in a solution cannot be seen by the naked eyes.
• A solution does not allow beams of light to scatter.
• A solution is stable.
• The solute from a solution cannot be separated by filtration.
• It is composed of only one phase.

Types of solutions:
• Homogeneous solutions : Homogeneous means that components of the mixture from a single
phase.
Ex:
1. water is an example of a homogeneous mixture. It often contains dissolved minerals and
gases, but these are dissolved throughout the water. Tap water and rain water are both
homogeneous, even though they may have different levels of dissolved minerals.

• Heterogeneous solutions : Heterogeneous means that the component of mixture are of

different phase.
Ex:
1. A bowl of fruit loops cereal is a heterogeneous mixture because it has cereal bits of many
colours floating around in milk.

2. Smog is heterogeneous mixture of various particles suspended in the air. The dirty particles
that make up the smog can be removed from the air and breathed into the lungs, making smog
quite a problematic heterogeneous mixture.

• Gaseous solutions: If the solvent is a gas, only gases are dissolved under a given set of
conditions.
Ex:
An example of gaseous solution is air (oxygen and other gases dissolved in nitrogen).
• Liquid solutions : If the solvent is a liquid, then almost all gases, liquids, and solids can be
dissolved.
Ex:

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 Gas in liquid : oxygen in water.
Carbon dioxide in water : a less simple example, because the solution is accompanied by a
chemical reaction (formation of ions).
• Solid solutions: A uniform mixture of substances in solid form. Solid solutions often consist
of two or more types of atoms or molecules that
Share a crystal lattice, as in certain metal alloys. Much of the steel used in construction, for
example, is actually a solid solution of iron and carbon.

2. ACIDS
Acids are substances that form hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in water.
Example: Hydrochloric Acid HCl gives H+ & Cl- ions .
According to Arrhenius an acid is a hydrogen-containing substance that dissociates to produce
hydrogen ion.
According to Bronsted-Lowry acid is a proton (H+) donor.
According to Lewis an acid is any substance that will attach itself to or a pair of electrons ( an
electron –pair acceptor).

Charecteristics properties associated with Acids:

1. Sour taste
2. Change the colour of litmus from blue to red
3. React with
• Metal to produce H 2 gas
• Hydroxide base to produce H 2 O and Salt
• Carbonate to produce CO 2
H+ released by acids in water solutions.
Types of acids:
There are two types of acids
1. Strong acids
2. Weak acids
Acids that dissociate to different extent in aqueous solution. Acids that dissociate to a large
extent are strong electrolytes and strong acids. In contrast, acids that dissociate only to a small
extent are weak acids and weak electrolytes.
Some common acids are listed below:

Name Formula Strong/Weak Where is it found?

Hydrochloric HCl Strong The stomach, in the lab.
Acid
Sulphuric Acid H 2 SO 4 Strong Acid rain,car Batteries,the lab.
Nitric Acid HNO 3 Strong Acid rain, in the lab.
Ethanoic Acid CH 3 COOH Weak Vinegar
Methanoic Acid HCOOH Weak Ant and Nettle Stings, descalers
Citric Acid C 6 H8 O7 Weak Citrus fruits

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Reactions of Acids
With metals:
Metals above Copper in the reactivity series will react with acids, giving off hydrogen gas. The
metal dissolves, forming a salt.
METAL + ACID ------------ SALT + HYDROGEN
EX: Mg(s) + H 2 SO 4 (aq) ------------ MgSO 4 (aq) + H 2 (g)

With Bases:
The bases dissolved in the acid and neutralises it. A salt is formed.
ACID + BASE -------------- SALT + WATER

H 2 SO 4 (aq) + CuO (s) ------------ CuSO 4 (aq) + H 2 O(l)

With metal carbonates :

With metal carbonates, much effervescence occurs when they react with acids as carbon dioxide
released too.
ACID + CARBONATE ------------- SALT + WATER + CARBON DIOXIDE
2HCl(aq) + CaCO 3 (s) -------------- CaCl 2 (s) + H 2 O(l) + CO 2 (g)

Neutralisation:
Acids are neutralised by bases. If u have indigestion, you may take a tablet containing a base. A
farmer may spread lime on fields to make the soil less acidic.
What happens during a neutralisation reaction?
ACID + ALKALI ----------- SALT + WATER
HCl(aq)+NaOH(aq) -------------- NaCl(aq)+H 2 O(l)

3. BASES
Capable of liberating OH- ion in water solution.
According to Arrhenius a base is a hydroxide – containing substance that dissociates to produce
hydroxide ion in aqueous solution.
According to Bronsted - Lowry base is a proton (H+) acceptor.
According to Lewis a base is any substance that has an unshared pair of electrons (an electron- pair
donor)
Characteristic properties associated with base:
• Bitter or caustic taste
• A slippery, soapy feeling
• Ability to change litmus from red to blue
• The ability to interact with acids

Types of Bases:
1. Strong Base
2. Weak Base

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 Bases can be strong or weak depending on the extent to which they dissociate and produce OH-ions
in solution. Most metal hydroxides are strong electrolytes and strong bases. Ammonia, NH 3 , is a
weak electrolyte and weak base.

Some Common bases are listed below:

Name Formula Where is it found?
Sodium hydroxide NaOH Oven cleaners, in the lab
Calcium hydroxide Ca(OH) 2 Soil lime, lime water
Magnesium oxide MgO Indigestion tablets
Calcium Carbonate CaCO 3 Lime stone, soil lime
Sodium hydrogen carbonate NaHCO 3 Baking powder
Ammonia NH 3 Cleaning fluids, in the lab

Reactions of Bases:
1. Reaction with acids
2. Amphoteric hydroxides

Hydroxide of certain metals – Zn, Al ,Cr are amphoteric, they are capable of reacting with an acid or
a base.
Zn(OH) 2 + 2HCl ----------------------- ZnCl 2 + 2H 2 O
1. Reaction of NaOH and KOH with certain metals

2NaOH + Zn + H 2 O ------------------- Na 2 Zn(OH) 4 + H 2

4. SALTS:
We have seen that when an acid reacts with a base, a salt is formed.
EX: Sulphuric acid + Sodium hydroxide --------------- Sodium sulphate + water
Most of the rocks and minerals of Earth’s mantle are salts of one kind or another Huge quantities of
dissolved salt sexist in the ocean salts can be considered compounds derived from acids and bases.
Salts are usually crystalline and have high melting point and boiling point.

Soluble and insoluble salts:

Many ionic salts are soluble in water. It is useful to know whether or not a salt is soluble in water, as
this will influence your choice of method for making it.

Methods of making salts which are water soluble:

SOLUBLE SALTS CAN BE MADE IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS.
1. ACID + METAL ------------ SALT+ HYDROGEN
2. ACID + BASE ------------- SALT + WATER
3. ACID + CARBONATE ---------------- SALT + WATER + CARBON DIOXIDE
4. ACID + ALKALI -------------- SALT + WATER

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MAKING INSOLUBLE SALTS:

Insoluble salts cannot be prepared by acid-base reactions in the same way as soluble salts.
Insoluble salts are prepared by precipitation. This involves mixing solutions of two soluble salts that
between them contain the ions that make up the insoluble salt.
Ex:
Barium chloride + Magnesium sulphate -------- Barium sulphate + Magnesium chloride
(soluble salt) (soluble salt) (insoluble salt) (soluble salt)

BaCl 2 (aq) + MgSO 4 (aq) ------------ BaSO 4 (s) + MgCl 2 (aq)

When the two solutions are mixed, a white solid precipitate of barium sulphate is formed.

Types of salts:
 Normal Salts
 Acid Salts
 Basic Salts

Normal Salts:
Normal salts are formed when all the replaceable hydrogen ions in the acid have been completely
replaced by metallic ions.
HCl(aq) + NaOH (aq) -------------- NaCl(aq) + H 2 O(l)
H2SO 4 (aq) + ZnO(aq) --------------- ZnSO 4 (aq) + H 2 O(l)
Normal salts are neutral to litmus paper.

Acid Salts:
Acid salts are formed when replaceable hydrogen ions in acids are only partially replaced by a metal.
Acid salts are produced only by acids containing more then one replaceable hydrogen ion. Therefore
an acid with two replacable ions.

EX: H 2 SO 4 will form only one acid salt, while acid with three replaceable hydrogen ions H 3 PO 4 will
form two different acid salts.
H 2 SO 4 (aq) + KOH(aq) ----------- KHSO 4 (aq) + H 2 O (l)
H 3 PO 4 (aq) + NaOH ----------- NaH 2 PO 4 (aq) + H 2 O (l)
H 3 PO 4 + 2NaOH(aq) ---------- Na 2 HPO 4 (aq) + 2H 2 O(l)
An acid salt will turn blue litmus red. In the presence of excess metallic ions and acid salt will be
converted into a normal salt as its replacable hydrogen ions become replaced.

Basic Salts:
Basic salts contains the hydroxide ion, OH-. They are formed when there is insufficient supply of
acid for the complete neutralization of the base. A basic salt will turn red litmus and will react with
excess acid to form normal salt.

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Zn(OH) 2 (s) + HCl (aq) ------------- Zn(OH)Cl(aq) + H 2 O(l)
Zn(OH)Cl(aq) + HCl(aq) ---------- ZnCl 2 (aq) + H 2 O(l)

5. INDICATORS
Indicators are the substances that have different colours in acidic and in alkaline solution. Some
important indicators are given below.
S.No. Indicator Colour in strongly acidic pH at which Colour in strongly
solution colour alkaline solution
changes
1 Methyl orange Red 4 Yellow
2 Bromothymol blue Yellow 7 Blue
3 Phenolphthalein colourless 9 Red
4 Screened methyl Red 4 Green
orange

Chemical indicator, any substance that gives a visible sign, usually by a colour change, of the
presence or absence of a threshold concentration of a chemical species such as an acid or alkaline
solution.

An example is the substance called methyl yellow, which imparts a yellow colour to an alkaline
solution. If acid is slowly added, the solution remains yellow until all the alkali has been neutralized .
Where upon the colour suddenly changed to red. Methyl yellow is visible even if its concentration is
as low as a few parts per million parts of solution.

Application:
The Common application of indicators is the detection of end points of titrations.

The colour of an indicator alters when the acidity or the oxidizing strength of the solution, or the
concentration of a certain chemical species, reaches a critical range of values. indicator are therefore
classified as acid-base, oxidation-reduction, specific-substance indicators, every indicator in each
class having a characteristic transition range .methyl yellow, an acid base indicator, is yellow if the
hydrogen ion concentration of the solution is less than 0.0001 mole per litre and is red if the
concentration exceeds 0.0001.

With this we come to the end of today’s episode. I hope you had a good time. understanding and
learning about solutions, acids, bases, salts and indicators. please do join me again in the next
episode. Until then, good luck and good bye.

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