Acids and Bases Oct.13 2010

An acid is a substance that tastes sour, has a pH of less than 7 and reacts with metals.  They are formed when a compound made up of hydrogen ions and a negatively charged ions(anions) are dissolved in water(aqueous)
A base is the chemical opposite of an acid, and can be oxides or hydroxides of metals. They are aqueous solutions that can take hydronium ions.

Naming  Simple Acids

1. Use prefix "hydro" at beginning
2 The last syllable of the non-metal is dropped and replace with -ic
3. Add the word acid at the end

ex. HCl


Hydrogen Chloride---------- hydrochloride which then becomes hydrochloric because you drop the ending. Then simply add the word acid at the end

HCl= hydrochloric acid

Naming Complex Acids

If the compound ends with -ate you replace it with -ic
If the compound ends with-ite you replace it with -ous

Then add the word acid at the end

ex. 1
hydrogen nitrite (HNO2) =
1. drop the word hydrogen
2. nitrate= ends with -ite so you replace -ite with -ous
3. then add word "acid".

= nitrous acid


 ex.2

Hydrogen Phosphate(H3PO4)

1. drop the word "hydrogen"
2. Phosphate ends with-ate so you replace it -ate with -ic
3. =Phosphoric
4. Add the word "acid"

= Phosphoric Acid


***** For most acids you would drop the ending completely (e.g. chlorate=chloric and nitrate=nitric) This is not the case for sulphur and phosphorus.

Phosphate becomes phosphoric (not phosphic)
Sulphate becomes sulphuric ( not sulphic)