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Notes On Acids And Bases

Decent Essays

Topic: Acids and Bases.

Introduction
Acids are chemical agents that, when mixed with water, release hydrogen ions. Acids have a pH of under 7 on the pH scale.(Williams, 2016) An acid produces a sour taste, like Vinegar, and gives off a strong smell, that burns the human nose. Acids are often very sticky, and react strongly with metals, and create a chemical reaction to form H2. (Guch, 2003) A Base is the complete opposite of an Acid, and describes a substance that is above 7 on the pH scale. Bases have a more higher potential than Acids to accept Hydrogen Ions. This means that rather than releasing ions, as an Acid would, a Base accepts the ions.(Morrissey, 2016) Similar to Acids, Bases provide a Bitter taste, like Cocoa Beans, or Bicarb Soda. Bases, unlike Acids, do not usually give off a distinct smell, but are usually quite slippery. Bases react with most oils and fats, such as Detergent reacting with human skin, and slowly breaking down the oils and fats in the skin tissue.(Guch, 2003)
The universal indicator is used for specifying whether a substance is a Base, Neutral, or an Acid along the pH scale, by measuring the concentration of H3O+ ions in a substance. (N.a, 2016) The pH scale is a scale that determines whether a substance is an Acid product, or a Basic product. The ‘H’ in pH stands for Hydrogen, however, the ‘p’ is often debated, therefore is thought of as the power of the hydrogen. (Morrissey, 2016) The pH scales ranges from ranking between 0 (Being more

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