chem 241 midterm 1 - acids/bases video

What acid is the primary catalyst in the making of most explosives used in North America?

Nitric acid

What is ANFO?

The leading explosive used in civil construction

What type of explosive is used mainly for military purposes?

RDX

What is most nitric acid used to produce?

Ammonium nitrate fertilizer

Where was the catastrophic nitric acid explosion of 1947?

Texas City, Texas

What chemical is produced in the largest amount in the US (annually)?

Sulfuric acid

How many times more acidic is a solution of pH 1 acid than a solution of pH 3?

100 times

What happens if you put a piece of aluminum in concentrated sulfuric acid?

Steam is generated from the reaction proceeding and generating heat.

How does sulfuric acid (and most other acids) burn your skin?

It draws the moisture out of your skin, generating heat.

List 3 applications of sulfuric acid.

1. Petroleum industry

2. Leaching industry

3. Pulp & paper industries

SO₃+H₂O = ?

H₂SO₄

Why does a cut onion often make your eyes burn?

The onion releases sulfur-containing compounds that react with water in our eyes, creating sulfuric acid.

What acid is found in your stomach and used to dissolve food?

Hydrochloric acid

What acid is used to make gelatin for foods and other substances?

Hydrochloric acid

What is the acid reacted with when making gelatin?

bones

What does HCl do to bone?

It removes the minerals from the bone, leaving behind the rebar (which is the protein the gelatin is made out of).

List 3 things that gelatin is used for.

1. film emulsions

2. pharmaceuticals

3. golf balls

What type of acid is often found in cola?

Phosphoric acid

What is the bulk starting material used for making vinegar?

grain-sourced alcohol

What process is used to make stainless steel clean (sterile)?

Electropolishing & passivation

What is an application for passivated steel?

tattoo tips

What is a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids used to dissolve precious metals called?

aqua regia

What is aqua regia composed of?

Hydrochloric and nitric acids

What is acid rain?

Precipitation with acidic components

What acids are the main components of acid rain?

Sulfuric acid and nitric acid

What are today’s pennies composed of?

zinc with copper plating

What sinister way were acids used on the battlefield in WWI?

Mustard gas & phosgene gas turn into HCl in the lungs, leading the lungs to dilute that acid with water that fills the lungs until the soldier could no longer breathe.

What is one of the oldest known historical uses of acid (etching)?

Etching metal sheets

At what national park are the most open acid pools located?

Yellowstone National Park

What word is used to describe microorganisms that can live in low pH/high temperature environments?

thermoacidophiles

Why are thermoacidophiles important? Applications?

Microorganisms that can live at a very high temperature or low pH are likely making enzymes that can also survive under those conditions. Such enzymes may have useful applications in industrial processes. These organisms also raise questions about other extreme environments where life may exist, both here on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system.