Types of oxide Cambridge IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award) revision
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In plain words
When an element burns it joins with oxygen to make an oxide. Which kind of oxide you get depends on the element. Metals make oxides that behave like bases; non-metals make oxides that behave like acids. A few in between can do both.
Three things to know
- Metal oxides are basic: they react with acids. Examples: copper(II) oxide, calcium oxide.
- Non-metal oxides are acidic: they react with bases, and many dissolve in water to make acids. Examples: sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide.
- Amphoteric oxides react with both acids and bases to give a salt and water. Examples: aluminium oxide, zinc oxide.
Tips and tricks
- Metal → basic oxide. Non-metal → acidic oxide. That one rule gets most of the marks.
- The amphoteric ones to learn are aluminium oxide and zinc oxide.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Types of oxide: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
What type of oxide do most metals form?
Metal oxides react with acids.
Which oxide is amphoteric?
It reacts with both acids and bases.
Which oxide is acidic?
It is the oxide of a non-metal.
What does a basic oxide react with?
A base neutralises an acid.
Which oxide could be used to neutralise an acid?
It is a basic oxide; the others are acidic.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 8 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Types of oxide
Cambridge IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award) 0654 · 8 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
Classify each oxide as acidic, basic or amphoteric: calcium oxide, sulfur dioxide, zinc oxide, carbon dioxide.[4]
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Calcium oxide: basic. Sulfur dioxide: acidic. Zinc oxide: amphoteric. Carbon dioxide: acidic.
State what is meant by an amphoteric oxide, and give one example.[2]
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An oxide that reacts with both acids and bases (to form a salt and water). Aluminium oxide or zinc oxide.
Explain why sulfur dioxide in the air makes rain acidic.[2]
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It is a non-metal oxide, so it is acidic: it dissolves in rain water to form an acid.
Answers: Types of oxide
- 1. Calcium oxide: basic. Sulfur dioxide: acidic. Zinc oxide: amphoteric. Carbon dioxide: acidic.
- 2. An oxide that reacts with both acids and bases (to form a salt and water). Aluminium oxide or zinc oxide.
- 3. It is a non-metal oxide, so it is acidic: it dissolves in rain water to form an acid.