Acid

Things to remember

• An acid is a substance which dissociates in water to give positively charged hydrogen (H⁺). ‘H⁺’ is called hydrogen ion. Acids have sour taste and turn blue litmus into red, reacts with carbonates to give carbon dioxide and with metallic oxides to give a salt and water.
• A base is defined as any substance which releases hydroxyl ions (OH^-) when dissolved in water. Sodium hydroxide and ammonia are bases because they give hydroxyl ions in water.
• A salt is a compound formed by the partial or complete neutralization of an acid by a base. A salt is a neutral substance. It does not have acidic and basic properties. Some salt are salty while most of them taste bitter.