Question – What are acids? How many types are there? Describe the properties and uses of acids.
Definition of Acid
"Substances that taste sour and turn blue litmus paper red are called 'acids'."
Types of Acids
- Organic or Naturally Occurring Acid
- Inorganic or Mineral Acids
Organic Acids
- Ascorbic acid in onions
- Malic acid in apples
- Lactic acid in curd
- Tartaric acid in tamarind
- Acetic acid in vinegar
- Carbonic acid in cold drinks
- Citric acid in oranges
- Oxalic acid in tomatoes
🌑Reactions🌑
Reaction with Metals
Naturally occurring acids are very dilute, so they react slowly with metals to form toxic compounds. For example, if a small piece of aluminum foil is placed in lemon juice, bubbles of hydrogen gas rise, indicating that the lemon juice has reacted with the foil.
Reaction with Alkalis
Naturally occurring acids also react slowly with alkalis. However, the result of acid-alkali reactions differs from metal reactions. Instead of hydrogen gas bubbles, salt or water is formed.
Mineral Acids
Mineral acids are prepared from minerals. Most mineral acids are strong acids, such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, and phosphoric acid. These are commonly used mineral acids. Mineral acids are used in the manufacture of fertilizers, industrial chemicals, explosives, dyes, and pigments. One of the mineral acids, hydrochloric acid, helps in digestion of food in the stomach.
Properties of Acids
(i) Taste – Acids and their solutions taste sour.
(ii) Corrosive Nature – Concentrated mineral acids like sulfuric acid and nitric acid corrode living tissues, clothes, paper, and metals. They react strongly with these materials.
🌑Reactions🌑
(i) Reaction with Indicators
Acids mostly react with metals to form salts and release hydrogen gas. Dilute sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid react with active metals like magnesium and zinc to form salts and hydrogen gas.
(v) Solution Form of Acids
Hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid are commercially very important acids. Some important uses of these acids are mentioned below