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1.1 What are Acids and Bases?

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    It shouldn't be hard for you to name several common acids, but you might find that listing bases is just a little more difficult.

    Here's a partial list of some common acids and bases, along with some chemical formulas:

    Some Common Acids
    Some Common Bases

    hydrochloric acid, \(\ce{HCl}\)
    (stomach acid is \(\ce{HCl}\))

    sodium hydroxide, \(\ce{NaOH}\)
    (lye or caustic soda)

    sulfuric acid, \(\ce{H2SO4}\)

    potassium hydroxide, \(\ce{KOH}\)
    (lye or caustic potash)

    nitric acid, \(\ce{HNO3}\)

    magnesium hydroxide, \(\ce{Mg(OH)2}\)
    (milk of magnesia)

    acetic acid, \(\ce{HC2H3O2}\) (vinegar)

    calcium hydroxide, \(\ce{Ca(OH)2}\)
    (slaked lime)

    carbonic acid, \(\ce{H2CO3}\)

    ammonia, \(\ce{NH3}\)

    formic acid, \(\ce{HCOOH}\)

    citric acid, \(\ce{C6H8O7}\)

    acetylsalicylic acid, commonly known as aspirin
    \(\ce{C6H4(OCOCH3)CO2H}\)

    Acids and bases have characteristic properties. The table below highlights some of these key characteristics. You'll want to learn this list.

    Key Characteristics of Acids
    Key Characteristics of Bases

    • sour taste (e.g. lemons; grapefruit; vinegar; sour milk)
    • bitter taste
    • react with active metals such as zinc and magnesium to produce hydrogen gas
    • generally no noticeable reaction with active metals
    • form electrolytic solutions (conduct electricity) because they produce ions
    • form electrolytic solutions (conduct electricity) because they produce ions
    • cause certain dyes to change color; litmus paper turns red, for example
    • cause certain dyes to change color; litmus paper turns blue for example
    • slippery feel (e.g. soapy feel)
    • neutralized by bases
      (neutralized means that the substance no longer has acidic, or basic, properties)
    • neutralized by acids

    1.1 What are Acids and Bases? is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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