Question

What happens when an acid reacts with the base? Explain by taking the example of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. Give the equation of the chemical reaction which takes place. What is the special name of such a reaction?

Answer 1

Hint: In order to know what will happen when acid and bases react and what type of process is taking place, we must first know what an acid and base is. Acid is a molecule which can donate protons and base is a molecule which can accept protons.

Complete Solution :
Let us first understand about acid and base. An acid is a molecule which can donate protons to another molecule. Acid will turn the blue litmus paper into red. Acid will be having a pH below 7. Base is a molecule which has an ability to accept protons from another molecule. Base can turn the red litmus paper into blue. Base will be having a pH above 7. When an acid is added to a base, it will lead to the formation of salt and water molecules. This process of reaction of an acid and a base is known as the neutralization reaction.
- Let us now consider an example of hydrochloric acid and Sodium hydroxide. Hydrochloric acid is a very strong acid and sodium hydroxide is a very strong base. When both Hydrochloric acid and Sodium hydroxide react with each other, it will lead to the formation of Sodium chloride salt and water molecule. The reaction of neutralization of the acid and base is given below:
\[HCl + NaOH \to NaCl + {H_2}O\]

Note: Let us see some of the characteristics of acids and bases.
Acid:
- Sour in taste.
- pH below 7
- turns blue litmus to red.
Bases
- Bitter in taste
- pH above 7.
- turns red litmus into red.