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Acids, Bases and Salts | IGCSE Chemistry (0620)

Acids, Bases and Salts | IGCSE Chemistry (0620) | SM-Educate
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CS-991 · Module I-7

7 · Acids, Bases and Salts

Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry 0620 · Core + Supplement · 2026–2028
Quick Revision
⚖️ pH Scale✅ Neutralization📊 Salt Prep

7.1 pH Scale and Neutralization

The pH scale runs from 0 to 14. pH < 7 is acidic, pH = 7 is neutral, pH > 7 is alkaline. Universal indicator shows a range of colours; litmus simply shows red (acid) or blue (alkali).

Acid + Base → Salt + Water

A neutralization reaction between an acid and a base (or alkali) produces a salt and water, with the pH moving towards 7.

🎥 Video lectures for this sub-topic — coming soon
Q1: A solution with pH 3 is:
a) Strongly alkaline b) Neutral c) Acidic d) Weakly alkaline
Show Answer
✅ c) Acidic
Q2: The products of a neutralization reaction between an acid and a base are:
a) Salt and water b) Salt and hydrogen gas c) Salt and carbon dioxide d) Salt only
Show Answer
✅ a) Salt and water

7.2 Preparing Salts and Oxides

Salt TypeMethod
Soluble salt from acid + metalAdd excess metal to acid, filter, evaporate/crystallize
Soluble salt from acid + insoluble baseAdd excess base to acid, filter, evaporate/crystallize
Soluble salt from acid + alkaliTitration (exact volumes measured)
Insoluble saltPrecipitation: mix two soluble solutions, filter, wash, dry

Oxides: Basic oxides (metal oxides, react with acids, e.g. CuO); Acidic oxides (non-metal oxides, react with bases, e.g. CO₂); Amphoteric oxides (react with both, e.g. ZnO, Al₂O₃).

🎥 Video lectures for this sub-topic — coming soon
Q1: To prepare a soluble salt from an insoluble base, you would use:
a) Titration b) Excess base added to acid, then filter c) Precipitation d) Electrolysis
Show Answer
✅ b) Excess base added to acid, then filter
Q2: Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an example of a:
a) Basic oxide only b) Acidic oxide only c) Amphoteric oxide d) Neutral oxide
Show Answer
✅ c) Amphoteric oxide
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