Acids and 

Bases 2 
Alkali 

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 Alkali
1. Bases are compounds which react with acid to form a salt
and water as only products.
Base 2. Bases that soluble in water are called alkalis.
Bases are compounds which react
with acid to form a salt and water as
only products.

Alkalis
Alkalis are chemical substance that
ionize in water to produce hydroxide
ions

Example: Example:

Sodium Hydroxide Copper oxide

Potassium Hydroxide Zinc oxide
Calcium Hydroxide Lead oxide
Ammonia Aluminium Oxide

3. In aqueous solution, alkali it produces hydroxide ions (OH).

In short, alkalis are substances that form hydroxide ions
(OH(aq)) in water

Example
sodium hydroxide NaOH gives Na+(aq) and OH-(aq) ions,
NaOH  Na+ + OH
calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 gives Ca2+(aq) and 2OH-(aq) ions.
Ca(OH)2  Ca2+ + 2OH
Ammonia give NH4+ and OH
NH3 + H2O  NH4+ + OH-
[Note: an alkali is a base soluble in water.]

4. In alkaline solution there are more OH ions than H+ ions.

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 Physical Properties of Bases
1. Alkalis are bitter in taste.
2. Alkalis turn litmus from red to blue
3. Alkalis are soapy to touch.
4. Alkalis has pH value more than 7
5. Alkalis can conduct electricity

Chemical Properties of Bases

Alkalis, when warmed with ammonium salts, give Alkalis react with acids to form a salt and water —
off ammonia gas: this is a neutralisation reaction:

Ammonium Salt + Alkali  Salt + Acid + Alkali  Salt + Water
Ammonia + Water

Example: Example:
Ammonium Chloride + Sodium Hydroxide  Potassium hydroxide + Nitric Acid 
Sodium chloride + Water + Ammonia Potassium Nitrate + Water

NH4Cl + NaOH  NaCl + H2O + NH3 KOH + HNO3  KNO3 + H2O

More examples: More examples:

NH4Cl + Ca(OH)2  NaOH + HCl 

KOH + H2SO4 

(NH4)SO4 + NaOH 
NH3 + HNO3 

NH3 + H2SO4 

Ammonia
1. By nature, ammonia is a covalent compound.
2. Ammonia exists as gas at room temperature.
3. Ammonia gas is soluble in water.
4. Physical properties of ammonia:
 Pungent smell
 Colourless
 Turn litmus from red to blue

Oxide: Basic, Acidic, Neutral, or Amphoteric

1. Metal oxides are basic oxides and those that dissolve in water
are called alkalis.
2. Some non-metal oxides dissolve in water to form acids, and are
called acidic oxides.
3. Other metal oxides can behave as both acids and bases and are said
to be amphoteric oxides.

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Without water, alkalis do not show The role of Water in Showing Alkaline Properties
alkalinity 1. Alkali shows alkaline properties only in the presence of water.
2. When water is present, ionisation of alkali produces OH-, ions
that are responsible for the alkali properties

KOH 
H2 O
 K   OH
NaOH 
H2 O
 Na   OH
 NH4  OH
NH3  H2 O 
3. Without the presence of water, there are no free-moving
hydroxide ions. Therefore, in the absence of, alkalis do not
show alkalinity

pH Scale
1. pH scale is a measure of acidity and alkalinity. It is numbered
between 0 and 14.
2. Neutral substance has pH of 7.
3. A solution of pH less than 7 is acidic The lower the pH, the
more acidic the solution or the higher the concentration of H+
ions in the solution.
4. A solution of pH above 7 is alkaline. The higher the pH, the
more alkaline the solution or higher concentration of OH- ions
presence in the solution.
5. The pH of a solution can be measured by using the Universal
indicator, pH paper or with a pH-meter.

Strength of Acids and Alkalis

1. The strength of an acid is defined by its ability to ionise and
release hydrogen ions (H+) in the solution.
2. In a solution of strong acid, all the acid molecules are ionised
in the water to produce hydrogen ions.
3. In a solution of weak acid, most of the acid molecules remain
uncharged in the water. Only small portion of the molecules
are ionised to release hydrogen ions. Some of the ions
recombine and remain as molecules.

4. Similar to strength of acids, the strength of an alkali is defined

by its ability to ionise and release hydroxide ions (OH-) in the
solution.
5. In a solution of strong alkali, all the alkali molecules are
ionised in the water to produce hydroxide ions.
6. In a solution of weak alkali, only small portion of the
molecules are ionised to release hydroxide ions.

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 Examples of Strong/Weak Acids and Strong/Weak Alkali
Acids Alkali
Strong Weak Strong Weak
H2SO4 CH3COOH NaOH NH3
HNO3 H3PO4 KOH
HCl H2SO3 LiOH
HNO2

Acids / Alkali Indicator

1. An indicator is a substance or mixture of substances that when added to the solution gives different
colours depending on the pH of the solution. Table below shows the colour of indicators in neutral,
acidic and alkaline solution.

colour in alkali
Indicator colour in acid pH<7 colour in neutral pH=7
pH >7
litmus red 'purple' blue
phenolphthalein* colourless colourless pink
methyl orange* pinky red orange about pH 6 yellow
methyl red* red orange yellow
bromothymol blue* yellow green blue

Bromothymol Blue Phenolphthalein Methyl orange

2. The best indicator of all is the universal indicator.

3. It can be used to show not only whether a substance is acidic or alkaline, but also whether it is a strong
acid or a weak acid.

(Colour of Universal Indicator at different pH)

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