Acids, Bases and Neutralization Reactions

The human stomach is a muscular organ containing gastric juices, including hydrochloric acid, which help digest food. Certain kinds of foods raise the acidity levels of our stomach, causing acid reflux.

Consuming alkaline food, or a base like an antacid, neutralizes the excess acid, relieving the burning sensation. This is an example of an acid-base reaction.

The simplest acids are substances that contain dissociable hydrogen atoms. In aqueous solutions, they release positively charged hydrogen ions, or protons, along with the corresponding anions. The protons react with water molecules to form hydronium ions.

For example, an aqueous solution of nitric acid contains hydronium ions and nitrate ions. Other commonly known acids are hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and phosphoric acid.

Acids are monoprotic or polyprotic depending on the number of dissociable hydrogen atoms per molecule.

Hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, with one dissociable hydrogen each, are both examples of monoprotic acids, while sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid are polyprotic. Sulfuric acid is diprotic and releases its two protons sequentially, whereas phosphoric acid is triprotic and dissociates sequentially in