Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
New
New
Year 9

Chemical reactions: neutralisation

I can describe what happens during a neutralisation reaction and write word and symbol equations to represent different neutralisation reactions.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 9

Chemical reactions: neutralisation

I can describe what happens during a neutralisation reaction and write word and symbol equations to represent different neutralisation reactions.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Neutralisation reaction general equation is: base + acid → metal salt + water.
  2. Sodium hydroxide has the formula NaOH(aq) and hydrochloric acid has the formula HCl(aq).
  3. In a neutralisation reaction, the metal salt formed is named after the metal (from the base) and acid used.
  4. Common bases include metal oxides and hydroxides.
  5. (s), (l), (g) and (aq) in chemical equations identify the state of each substance as solid, liquid, gas or in solution.

Common misconception

Pupils often do not understand what neutralisation is i.e. exactly the correct quantities of components from the acid and base combined to form water.

It is worth emphasising that water is formed and it is this which is neutral as it contains the hydrogen and oxygen atoms from the acid and base.

Keywords

  • Neutralisation - When a chemical reaction takes place between an acid and base to produce a neutral solution of a metal salt and water.

  • Metal salt - A compound formed when an acid reacts with a base.

  • Aqueous solution (aq) - Formed when a substance is dissolved in water.

When carrying out neutralisation students often miss neutral as they do not add the alkali one drop at a time. Demonstrate how to 'shake' the test tube safely from side to side to mix the acid and alkali after each drop. Use tables in additional material to help pupils with Task B part 4.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Test tubes, test tube rack, plastic pipettes, dilute acid, dilute alkali, universal indicator solution in dropper bottles, universal indicator colour scale.

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

Skip video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
What colour does universal indicator turn when a solution is neutral?
Correct answer: green
yellow
blue
orange
red
Q2.
Match the following key terms to their definitions.
Correct Answer:metal oxide,metal atoms bonded to oxygen atoms

metal atoms bonded to oxygen atoms

Correct Answer:non–metal oxide,non–metal atoms bonded to oxygen atoms

non–metal atoms bonded to oxygen atoms

Correct Answer:adding in excess,reactant is present in greater amounts than needed to completely react

reactant is present in greater amounts than needed to completely react

Correct Answer:insoluble,will not dissolve in a solvent

will not dissolve in a solvent

Q3.
The reaction between a metal oxide and an acid is known as a reaction.
Correct Answer: neutralisation
Q4.
Match the following chemical names to their symbols.
Correct Answer:sodium,Na

Na

Correct Answer:sulfur,S

S

Correct Answer:hydrochloric acid,HCl

HCl

Correct Answer:metal oxide,CuO

CuO

Correct Answer:non–metal oxide,SO₂

SO₂

Q5.
Which of the following is the name of the metal salt that is formed when sodium hydroxide reacts with nitric acid?
Correct answer: sodium nitrate
sodium nitrogen
nitric hydroxide
nitrogen oxide
sodium nitride
Q6.
Which of the following statements about bases and alkalis are correct?
Correct answer: An alkali is a base that is soluble in water.
Correct answer: A base is a substance that can react with acid and neutralise it.
A base is always insoluble.
An alkali has a pH of less than 7.

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the following state symbols to the correct state of matter of a substance in a chemical equation.
Correct Answer:(s),solid

solid

Correct Answer:(l),liquid

liquid

Correct Answer:(g),gas

gas

Correct Answer:(aq),dissolved in water

dissolved in water

Q2.
Sodium hydroxide is an alkali. When it reacts with hydrochloric acid, sodium chloride is formed. Which of the following words can be used to describe sodium chloride?
element
Correct answer: compound
mixture
base
Correct answer: metal salt
Q3.
Which of the following is the correct meaning of the state symbol (aq) in a chemical equation?
It stands for 'aqua' which means water.
Correct answer: It stands for 'aqueous' which means a substance is dissolved in water.
It means the same as liquid (l).
Q4.
Which of the following chemicals could be used to neutralise an acid?
Correct answer: copper oxide
Correct answer: sodium hydroxide
sodium chloride
phosphorus oxide
Q5.
In a neutralisation reaction, the metal salt produced is named after the metal (base) and the acid used. What is the name and chemical formula of the metal salt formed when nitric acid is used?
Correct answer: metal nitrate (NO₃)
metal nitric (HNO₃)
metal nitrous (N₂O)
metal nitrogen (N₂)
Q6.
Use the general equation base + acid → metal salt + water to select the correct chemical equation for the reaction between sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid.
NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) → NaCl(aq) + H₂O(aq)
Correct answer: NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) → NaCl(aq) + H₂O(l)
NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) → NaCl(s) + H₂O(l)
NaOH(aq) + HCl(l) → NaCl(aq) + H₂O(aq)

Additional material

Download additional material
We're sorry, but preview is not currently available. Download to see additional material.