Acids, Bases and Salts

Indigestion

Our stomach contains hydrochloric acid. It helps us to digest food, . But too much of acid in the stomach causes indigestion. Sometimes indigestion is painful. To relieve indigestion, we take an antacid such as milk of magnesia, which contains magnesium hydroxide. It neutralises the effect of excessive acid.

Ant bites

When an ant bites, it injects the acidic liquid (formic acid) into the skin. The effect of the acid can be neutralised by rubbing moist baking soda (sodium hydrogencarbonate) or calamine solution, which contains zinc carbonate.

What is Neutralisation?

The reaction between an acid and a base is known as neutralisation. Salt and water are produced in this processwith the evolution of heat.Acid+Base → Salt+Water(Heat is evolved)The following reaction is an example:Hydrochloric acid (HCl) + Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) → Sodium chloride (NaCl) + Water (H2O)

Acid rain

As the name indicates the rain containing excess of acids is called an acid rain. The rain becomes acidic because carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide (which are released into the air as pollutants) dissolve in rain drops to form carbonic acid, sulphuric acid and nitric acid respectively. Acid rain can cause damage to …

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