ACIDS AND BASES: Household Chemicals

You are probably wondering why you should bother with all this

chemistry, anyway. What does it have to do with real life?

The rest of the articles in this unit are about different applications of

chemistry in daily life. Some of the most common uses of chemistry are in

cooking and cleaning.

One common group of chemicals is called acids. Many foods contain

ingredients that are acids. Vinegar, used in pickling, is mainly acetic

acid (HC2H30 2). Citric acid (HC6H70 7) is found in oranges, lemons, and

grapefruits and is used as a preservative in many canned foods. Sour milk

contains lactic acid (HC3H50 3), and baking powder also contains a type of

acid.

Acids are also used for cleaning. Vinegar and lemon juice are old

standbys for cleaning glass or china. Boric acid (H3B03) is used in eyewash,

and sulfuric acid (H2SO 4) is used to clean corroded metals.

From the examples above, you might guess that most acids have a sour

taste. The chemical formula for an acid usually shows an H for hydrogen at

the beginning. Chemists test for acids using litmus paper, a special kind of

paper that turns red in acid.

Another group of chemicals is known as bases. Many comm9n

household chemicals are bases. Most drain ~ cleaners contain sodium

hydroxide (NaOH), a very strong base that is commonly known as lye.

Washing soda (NaC03) and baking soda (NaHC03) are both bases.

Ammonia (NH3) is a base that is used in many kinds of household cleaners.

Milk ·of magnesia (Mg(OH)2) and aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)z) are both

bases used in common antacid medicines.

Most bases are bitter-tasting and have a slippery feel to them. The

chemical formulas for many bases show an (OH) group on the end. Litmus

paper can be used to test for bases, too, because it turns blue when it

touches. a base.

Both acids and bases are very reactive; that is, they read easily with

other chemicals. This is part of what makes them such good cleaners; they

react with the dirt and grease. But this also makes them very dangerous. A

strong acid or base can burn· a person very badly, because it reacts with the

water and other things in the skin. Acids and bases react very easily with

each othe~. If an acid and a base are combined, they will react together to

form water and some kind of salt. When this happens, the acid and the base

have neutralized each other.

Directions: Complete this review by filling in the blanks.
1. and are two common groups of
chemicals that are very reactive. , , and
are examples of foods containing acids. Three cleaners
that are bases include , , and _
There are many ways to tell an acid from a base. Acids taste
, while bases taste also feel
slippery to the touch, but don't. Scientists test acids
and bases using paper. This special paper turns
when it touches an acid and _