Essay On Acids And Bases In Everyday Life

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Acids & Bases Used in Everyday Life Acids are solutions with an excess of positive hydrogen ions (H+); and bases, or alkalis, are solutions with an excess of negative hydroxide ions (OH-). They react together to form salts. Acids and bases are essential components of the human body as well as having numerous everyday applications.Acids and bases are very useful in our daily lives. Let’s start with acids. Without acids, we won’t have Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), your car won’t start (sulphuric acid in car batteries) or even accelerated rotting of your food (food preservative in the form of citric acid). Similarly, imagine a world without bases. Without bases, stubborn stains on your clothing won’t come off (sodium hypochlorite in bleach), you’ll have dirty mirrors (ammonium hydroxide used in glass cleaners) and even having bowel…show more content…
Acids have a pH level of 1 to 6. Bases: Mustards and medicines are examples of a base. Flavor is added to medicines to offset the bitter taste. Bases have a pH level of 8 to 14. pH Scale A pH scale ranges from one to 14 and displays the range of acids and bases from top to bottom. Acids (low pH) range from one to six on the scale, while bases (high pH) range from eight to 14 on the scale. A pH of seven is considered neutral, like pure water. pH stands for "potential for hydrogen ion concentration" and refers to the amount of hydrogen ions in a solution. The more hydrogen ions, the lower the pH. The fewer hydrogen ions present, the higher the pH. Toothpaste If you brush your teeth every morning when you wake up, you already have experienced your first base of the day. Toothpaste, which contains sodium fluoride, belongs to the group of weak bases. The high pH of the toothpaste helps to kill any bacteria that reside in your mouth at the time of brushing. Those bacteria prefer a neutral to slightly acidic environment, exactly the conditions of your unbrushed mouth.

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