	Site Map \| FAQ in Daily Almanac for Nov 10, 2009 Search White Pages
Skip Navigation Home American Indian Heritage Month Atlas Encyclopedia Dictionary Thesaurus Features Quizzes Timelines Countries Slideshows

Fact Monster Kid's reference,
games, quizzes

Editor's Favorites

Chemistry

Properties of Acids and Bases

It's frequently possible to tell acids and bases apart from one another by some of their easily observed chemical and physical properties. A table of these properties is shown here:

Property	Acid	Base
Taste	Sour (vinegar)	Bitter (baking soda)
Smell	Frequently burns nose	Usually no smell (except NH₃!)
Texture	Sticky	Slippery
Reactivity	Frequently react with metals to form H₂	React with many oils and fats

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chemistry © 2003 by Ian Guch. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

To order this book direct from the publisher, visit the Penguin USA website or call 1-800-253-6476. You can also purchase this book at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Infoplease Tools