Acids and Alkalis

The scene lets students explore a scene and observe various materials that are acidic, alkaline, or neutral. By exploring these common household items, they will learn about their properties and what makes them acidic, alkali or neutral.

# Learning Objectives

Be able to describe an Acid{.info}

Be able to describe an Alkali{.info}

Be able to use the pH Scales to measure and identify the strength of Acids and Alkalis{.info}

# What are Acids?{.objective .objective1}

In this section the chemical properties of acids will be described. The concept of acids being corrosive will be outlined and that acids’ chemical nature is due to hydrogen ions forming when an acid is dissolved in a solvent like water. By exploring the scene, common everyday acids can be identified by the students.

# What are Alkalis? {.objective .objective2}

In this section the chemical properties of alkalis will be described. The concept of alkalis being caustic will be outlined and that alkalis’ chemical nature is due to hydroxide ions forming when alkalis are dissolved in a solvent such as water. By exploring the scene, common everyday alkalis can be identified by the students.

# Measuring the Strength of Acids and Alkalis{.objective .objective3}

In this section the strength of acids and alkalis will be linked to the concentration of hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions respectively, in an aqueous solution. A method of measuring their strength will be described, known as pH. A colour scale can be associated to the strength of acids and alkalis, such as the pH scale, an arbitrary scale linking a numerical scale to the colours generated by universal indicator.

# Teacher Resources

### Download Teacher Notes

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/790341/files/Acids%20and+alkalis+Teacher+Notes+1.pdf?date=1675097578&size=798517&md5=6e904f0e9f2bf973bf0c5f28b32e7cbd)

### Student Quiz Answers Document

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/790396/files/Acids%20and+alkalis+Quiz+Answers.pdf?date=1675155908&size=451385&md5=e565c06961236f2d12ded3dbc7226171)

### Download Student Quiz Document

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/790394/files/Acids%20and+alkalis+Quiz+Only.pdf?date=1675155734&size=95484&md5=24d7e945b8cf54d0d3643eee0e9663c1)