Acids and Bases

On Friday September 30th we discussed acids and bases in our science class. This stemmed from some online research we did about water sources containing information about the acidity of water. We started off talking about the pH scale; a scale that ranges from 0 to 14 and measures how acidic or basic a substance is. Substances that measure from 0 to 7 are acids, and substances that measure from 7 to 14 are bases. Anything with a measure of 7 exactly is completely neutral. The only substance known to be completely neutral is pure water. For acids, as the number gets smaller the substance gets stronger. So a 1 or a 2 would be a strong acid. Bases go the opposite direction, meaning that and 13 or 14 would be a strong base. The closer to 7 a substance is, the weaker it is.
pH itself means the power of hydrogen. All of the substances on the pH scale contain small particles called ions. Acids contain hydrogen ions, and bases contain hydroxyl ions. When written as a chemical substance, an acid will have the letter H in front of it, and a base will have the letters OH at the end. When pure water is written out, it appears as HOH, a neutral substance.
Some unique characteristics of acids include that they are corrosive and sour to taste. Acids do not burn things they touch, they corrode them away. If you have ever spilled an acid on clothing, it disappears not by burning, but by corrosion. Acids are also sour. Things like lemon juice and orange juice that have sour tastes are acidic. Though it may not seem this way, milk is a very weak acid.
Bases also have distinct characteristics. A base is slippery, bitter to taste, and causes burns. Some substances that are bases include ammonia water, milk of magnesia, and cleaning supplies. If you were to taste a basic substance, it would be more bitter than an acid. Lastly, a base does not wear things away like acids do, but burns them away. If you spilled a base on clothing, it would most likely soak through the fabric and cause severe skin burns. Bases are usually thought of as safer than acids, but both can be extremely dangerous.
Cleaning supplies(drain cleaners, rust/lime cleaners, etc.) are very strong and dangerous bases, which is why you see them handled with gloves. Soda pop and some juices are strong acids along with chemicals and stomach acids. Coca-Cola breaks down some things the acids in your stomach can't even break down! Strong acids and strong bases should be handled with care.