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Acid–base reaction facts for kids

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Bronsted lowry 3d diagram
Bronsted Lowry 3d diagram

An acid-base reaction is a chemical reaction between an acid and a base. The products of such a reaction are a salt and water.

The reaction can be simplified to

OH(aq) + H+(aq) → H2O

The other ions remain constant because they are not affected by the reaction. They are called spectator ions.

Originally, acids and bases were defined only by properties, such as the fact that acids tasted sour and turned certain plant dyes from one color to another, while bases tasted bitter, changed the colors of the same plant dyes in the opposite direction, and neutralized the activity of acids.

A scientific definition was first proposed by the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier.


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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Reacción ácido-base para niños

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