Neutralization is when an acid and a base react to form water and a salt. The pH scale measures acidity, with 1 being a strong acid and 14 a strong base. The reactivity series determines which chemical displaces the other in a reaction. A common example is hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide forming salt and water. Any strong acid and base reaction produces water and salt.
Neutralization is the process by which an acid and a base combine to form water and a salt. This occurs because some chemicals displace each other based on the series of reactivities. For example, in the reaction of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, the sodium displaces the hydrogen and binds to the chloride ion in the acid. This forms sodium chloride, commonly known as table salt. The remaining hydrogen and oxygen ions form water, thus removing the acidic and basic properties they previously had.
Some chemical compounds can be classified as acids or bases. This is measured by their position on the pH scale, where 1 is a strong acid and 14 is a strong base. Common acids are compounds such as hydrochloric acid, carbonic acid and nitric acid. Some common bases are compounds such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and ammonia. Acids are commonly found in food ingredients such as lemons, vinegar and grapefruit.
The basic process of neutralization can be understood if acids and bases are thought of as opposites. If an acid, with a pH of 1, reacts with a base, with a pH of 14, the logical product is something with a pH in between those two numbers, such as 7. This is the neutral point on the pH scale. Technically speaking, this reaction is referred to as a double displacement reaction. The specific reason for this neutralization is related to the reactivity series.
Different chemicals can have different levels of reactivity, which is indicated by the reactivity series. Essentially, any element higher in the series of reactivity is more reactive than any chemical further down the series. This means that if they are thrown together in a solution, the more reactive element will be able to steal the place of the less reactive element, in a process known as displacement. This shift is important to the neutralization process.
A common neutralization reaction is when hydrochloric acid reacts with sodium hydroxide to form sodium chloride and water. Sodium, a very reactive metal, displaces hydrogen in hydrochloric acid and forms a bond with chlorine to make salt. This leaves two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, which then bond to produce water. The acidic and basic properties of hydrogen and hydroxide are neutralized due to the change in the chemicals with which they are bonded.
Any neutralization reaction between a strong acid and a base produces water and salt in this way. Water is always a product, because hydrogen is always part of an acid and oxygen is usually part of the base. Different salts are formed depending on the different chemicals in the reaction. Salts are all ionic compounds with a positive ion other than hydrogen and a negative ion other than hydroxide. Sometimes, if acids and bases of equal strength are not used, a neutralization reaction can form a slightly acidic or slightly basic product.
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