very easy. Acids and bases are used to kill bugs and destroy bacteria or germs like washing dishes. WARNING: DO NOT i repeat DO NOT EVER COMBINE A ACID WITH A ACID OR A ACID WITH A BASE NEVER COMBINE BASES AND ACIDS EVER!!!! side effects:creates poisinous gas that may kill orm knock you out. and again they are used for killing germs bacteria exc. like washing dishes or killing bugs. they kill bacteria because they are very powerful.
You hear about acids all the time. Acid reflux disease causes some people to have to take acid reducing medication. The fact of the matter is that you hear the word "acid" all the time. Most of us, however, don't have any idea what an acid is.
The Bronsted-Lowry definition of acids are that acids are compounds that give off H+ ions when you stick them in water. This definition also says that bases are compounds that can accept H+ ions when you stick them in water.
The Arrhenius definition of acids says that they're compounds that give off H+ ions in water and that bases are compounds that give off OH- ions in water.
These definitions are the same. Basically, if you've got something that can give off H+ in water, it's an acid. As a result, all acids you'll be seeing in class have hydrogen atoms on them that are ready to go jumping off in water. Most common acids have the letter H in the beginning of the formula, with the exception of acetic acid (it's at the end, for reasons we won't go into here). Bases, on the other hand, are compounds that give off OH- in water. (The two definitions of a base are for our purposes identical, as OH- combine with H+ to form water -- the Arrhenius and Bronsted-Lowry definitions are for most purposes identical). When you see the formula of a base, it's got "OH" in it. The one exception to this is ammonia, NH3. (NH3 combines with water to form NH4OH, which is really the thing that's basic in ammonia. So our definition is sort of true).
You can also define acids and bases as being "strong" or "weak". Strong compounds are compounds that completely break up in water. In other words, if we're talking about a strong acid, all of the H+ ions break away from the molecule in water. For strong bases, all of the OH- ions break away from the molecule in water.
There is a difference between a "strong" acid and a "reactive" one. Strong acids are all reactive, but some "weak" acids can also be extremely reactive. A good example of a weak, reactive acid is hydrofluoric acid, HF. I had a friend of mine who had a tube full of HF explode in his face - even though it's a weak acid, he still spent a long time recovering and suffered permanent scarring. Ask your teacher sometime which acid they'd rather put their hand into, HCl (a strong acid) or HF (a weak acid). If your teacher knows anything at all about acid chemistry, they'll reply HCl.
Here are a couple of charts which show the most common acids and bases. Some are strong and some are weak, as indicated.
Acids
Formula
Name
Strong?
HCl
hydrochloric acid
yes
HBr
hydrobromic acid
yes
HI
hydroiodic acid
yes
HF
hydrofluoric acid
no
HNO3
nitric acid
yes
H2SO4
sulfuric acid
yes
H3PO4
phosphoric acid
no
CH3COOH
acetic acid
no
Bases
Formula
Name
Strong?
NaOH
sodium hydroxide
yes
LiOH
lithium hydroxide
yes
KOH
potassium hydroxide
yes
Mg(OH)2
magnesium hydroxide
no
Ca(OH)2
calcium hydroxide
no
NH3 (NH4OH)
ammonia
(ammonium hydroxide)
no
Properties of acids and bases
Properties of acids include the following:
Properties of bases include:
Bases are used for cleaning products such as bleach. Acids are used for antiseptics and vinegar and juices.
strong acids and bases can be used for cleaning.
Many acids are in the food we eat, like vinegar, and many bases are used to clean things, like soap, or drain cleaner.
make up for face
yes they do
because there badman
it can be used for metal etching
Yes. All bases neutralise acids.
Bronsted-Lowry
yes they do
people farting, littering,and gasoline
Yes, concentrated acids and bases are more corrosive than dilute acids and bases
Of course they are. They are many acids and bases
bases neutralise the acids
it can be used for metal etching
to help protect george clooney
because there badman
they use the pH scale
Yes. All bases neutralise acids.
Of course they are. They are many acids and bases
acids and bases are important!