Acids and bases play a huge role in the world of chemistry. Acids are in a lot of foods while bases can be found in cleaning solutions and antacids. An acid is a substance that releases hydrogen ions when it is dissolved in water. A base is a substance that releases hydroxide ions when it is dissolved. Acids and bases need to be balanced to protect our health as well as the environment. Water is the perfect balance of acids and bases. When acids and bases react with each other they create water in a process called neutralization. (H+OH=H2O) Neutralization is just a process in which something is neutralized.
Acids in foods are a lot weaker than acids used in a science lab. One way to tell if a substance is an acid or a base is to mix the substance with something that would change color when reacting with an acid/base. One example is litmus. Blue litmus would turn red in an acid and red litmus would turn blue in a base. When some acids react with bases, they make not only water but salt as well (but you have to have a balanced amount). It's amazing that if you mix two substances that could literally dissolve you, you end up with a perfectly safe swimming pool.
Source Credit: http://www.climatechangematters.net.au/LOTS/Chem/sub/acids/acids.htm
Photo Credit: http://www.flammablestorage.co.uk/acid.html
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