Question

The main function of an antacid is
A: to neutralise body acid
B: to neutralise body base
C: both a and b
D: None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Acids are used to neutralise base and bases are used to neutralise acids. There can be many reasons due to which the human body produces acid . The stomach produces acid mainly in the form of hydrochloric acid $(HCl)$ . This is the main constituent of gastric acids in human beings.

Complete step by step answer:
As we know antacids are basic in nature . Antacids are used as medicines that neutralise acid in the stomach. The main constituents of antacids are Aluminium, calcium or sodium bicarbonate. They interact with the hydrochloric acids in the stomach to make the $pH$ neutral. Some of the examples of antacids are Aluminium hydroxide gel, Calcium carbonate $CaC{O_3}$ ,magnesium hydroxide $Mg{(OH)_2}$ and many more. Magnesium hydroxide is also known as milk of magnesia. From the above explanation it is very much clear to us that the main function of an antacid is to neutralise body acid. So the correct answer of the question is A : to neutralise body acid.

Hence option A is correct.

Additional information:
There are some foods which can also act as an antacid for the body. If a person is suffering from acidity problems, adding such food items in their diet will be very much beneficial for them. Bananas, melons ,oatmeal ,yogurt , green vegetables are some of the examples of natural food antacids. Pepsin is a stomach enzyme which is secreted naturally by the stomach to digest proteins. The parietal cells of the stomach lining secrete hydrochloric acid to decrease the $pH$ of the stomach.

Note:
In a neutralisation process acid and base react to form salt and water. The reverse of the neutralisation process is called hydrolysis. In hydrolysis a salt reacts with water to produce corresponding acid and base.