http://www.ck12.org Chapter 3. Chemical Interactions
3.52 Properties of Acids
- Define acid.
- Identify properties of acids.
- Describe how to detect and measure the strength of acids.
- List some uses of acids.
Look at the boy in the photo above. You can tell by the expression on his face that lemon juice tastes sour. Lemon
juice is an acid, and all acids taste sour. They share certain other properties as well. You will learn more about acids
and their properties in this article. For a musical introduction to acids and related concepts, watch the video at this
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTLiJE-j1-I
What Are Acids?
Acidsare ionic compounds that produce positive hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in water. Ionic compounds
are compounds that contain positive metal ions and negative nonmetal ions held together by ionic bonds. (Ions
are atoms that have become charged particles by gaining or losing electrons.) An example of an acid is hydrogen
chloride (HCl). When it dissolves in water, it separates into positive hydrogen ions and negative chloride ions (Cl−).
This is represented by the chemical equation:
HCl
H 2 O
→H++ Cl−