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Acids, Bases, and Salts
Acids and bases are all around us, including a diverse array of food, drink and domestic products, providing many opportunities to explore real contexts and applications of chemistry. Note though, the over-exaggerated portrayal of acids in the media (like movies and TV shows) can be unhelpful.
While acids often are highly corrosive substances that ‘eat away’ materials in their path – some bases are even more corrosive. Even so, bases don’t often share the reputation of their acidic counterparts in movies. Further – salt is more than just table salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) used for food. Salt is any chemical compound formed from the reaction of an acid with a base.
Material
Day 1 – Introduction
- Student Work Packet – Topic 19
Day 2 – Virtual Textbook
- Read Physical 19 – Acid
- Read Physical 19 – Base
- Read Physical 19 – Salt
- Lab 19 Reading – Soap is a term for the salt of fatty acid
Enrichment
- Lab 10 – Measuring pH
- Lab 19 – Make Soap
- Write a letter – Acids, Bases and Salt
Videos
5:09 What are salts? | Chemistry for All | The Fuse School
2:56 Why Is The Ocean Salty?
4:24 Acids Bases and Salts – Introduction
Debate
Soap is designed as a product to be used once and then flushed down the drain, so as expected, the environmental implications of soap manufacturing process are not nearly as important as its several other chemical processes. The two prime areas of concern include (1) Safe transport and containment of the raw materials, and (2) Minimization of losses during production.
Therefore, it becomes a prime responsibility of all soap & detergents manufacturers that not only they use natural and/or such ingredients that are not harmful to environment but also take care while transporting these raw materials as well as minimize their ill effects during soap manufacturing process. (Extracted from Detergents & Soaps).
Position A: All soaps and soap products should be eco-friendly. This includes NOT using additives, like perfumes, color and brightening agents. Packaging of soap should be minimal. Soaps should be make only of non-petroleum surfactants or vegetable oil.
Position B: Regulations requiring eco-friendliness of soap are not needed. Regulation of the packaging of soap is also not needed. Soap has been manufactured safely for decades using a variety of oils – including petroleum.
Instructor Resources
Standard Daily Material
- Day 1 – Standard material – introduction day
- Day 2 – Standard material – reading day
- Day 3 – Standard material – make a presentation
- Day 4 – Standard material – give a presentation
- Extra! – Enrichment and remediation options
Other Topic Specific Resources
- PS19.Acids_Bases_and_Salts_Bellringer.tnsp
- PS19.Interactive_pH_Titration.tns
- PS19.pH_Bellringer.tnsp
- PS19.Swimming_with_Acids_and_Bases.tns
Special Notes
Instructor Emphasis:
- Science & Engineering Practice: Use mathematical and computational thinking.
- Cross-Cutting Concept: Stability and Change.
Standards Concepts
- Changing the number of electrons an atom has will change its reactivity with atoms around it.