ACIDS & BASES

WHAT ARE ACIDS LIKE?

Generally (but not always) sour tasting…but we don’t test them that way!

Feel the opposite of slippery (rough?)

Examples:

ACIDS

Donate H+

H+ is another name for a “proton.” The more H+, the stronger the acid.

WHAT ARE BASES LIKE?

Generally bitter tasting…but we don’t test them that way!

Feel slippery

Examples:

BASES

ACCEPT protons (H+s) Make OH- (Hydroxide ion) The more OH-, the stronger the base.

ACIDS GIVE H+ TO BASES.

ACIDS AND BASES:

THE PH SCALE TELLS US ABOUT ACIDS/BASES

Low pH (0-6) = Acidic

pH (7) = Neutral High pH (8-

14)=Basic

THE PH SCALE IS LOGARITHMIC

Like the Richter scale (for Earthquakes), the scale uses exponents to tell apart numbers.

7.0 earthquake vs. 9.0 (100X worse)

MORE ON THE PH SCALE

Something with a pH of 9 (two numbers away from 7), is 100 times as basic something with a pH of 7. Ocean water is basic (pH=8.2).

Something with a pH of 5 (two numbers away from 7), is 100 times as acidic something with a pH of 7. Rainwater is acidic (pH=5.6).

ACID RAIN

Acid Rain is especially acidic Because C02 from our factories and

cars produces carbonic acid, rain is getting more acidic.

This causes significant damage and over a billion dollars a year to fix corroded metal, paint, and damaged plants.

ACID RAIN OVER 80 YEARS

ACID RAIN IS TURNING TAJ MAHAL YELLOW

ACID RAIN IS HARD ON TREES

MORAL OF THE STORY

Energy costs us!

YOU can lower the effects of CO2 by watching how you use energy.