ACIDS & BASES

WHAT IS AN ACID?

• Being an acid means having hydrogen ions so all acids are positively charged
• Acids are made of the halogens elements which are nonmetals

WHAT IS A BASE?

• Bases have negatively charged ions called hydroxide
• Bases are formed when alkali metals react with water

DISSOLVING IN WATER

• When acids and bases dissolve in water, their ions dissociate
• For acids, positive hydrogen ions dissociate completely to become more acidic
• At the same time bases dissociate negative hydroxide to be more basic

SOLUTIONS

• When acids dissociate, more hydrogen ions are added to the water, lowering it's pH and making it more acidic
• Bases do the same thing, making a higher concentration of hydroxide to raise the water's pH and making it more basic

THE pH SCALE

• The pH scale, measures how acidic or basic something is
• It measures from 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most basic

HAZARDS!

• Both strong acids and strong bases are extremely corrosive and can cause serious burn injuries similar to fire
• The eyes and lungs are particularly susceptible because, since acids and bases dehydrate cells, your body will try to send excessive amounts of water in hopes of fixing the cells. Instead, this actually makes it hard to breathe or see...