Acid Definition

Whenever we talk about chemistry few concepts that strike our minds are Acid, Base, metals, non-metals, electrons, and protons. So, in this article, we are discussing the common term used in chemistry, "Acid. We all are," familiar with this concept because everyone must have listened to it since childhood.

Acid is not only a chemical that is present in a liquid state in front of us in the laboratories which have a severe and disastrous effect if a single drop of it falls on our hand; it's not like so; around us, even all the matter present have a proportion of Acid or base in it. Moreover, the snacks, fruits, or pulses we consume in our daily life also have a proportion of Acid that is beneficial to us in several ways.

Uses of Acid

A few applications of Acid in the industrial sector are listed below:

• In large-scale industries, foodstuff-related factories have boilers, and cleaning those boilers is not possible manually; at that time, the factories used dilute Hydrochloric Acid to remove dirt and impurities deposited inside the large boilers.
• Dilute Hydrochloric Acid is often used in daily household cleaning, as it efficiently cleans the sanitary ware of the house and the sinks in the kitchen.
• Among all the acids, Sulphuric Acid is the king of all acids because of its various properties; it is also used in car batteries as an essential element.
• You will be stunned after knowing that Acid has practical applications in manufacturing house paints, various dyes, drugs, and agricultural products such as pesticides and fertilizers.
• Even in the jeweler's shop, they use Nitric Acid to clean the silver and gold ornaments that give them a stunning bright shine.
• Among other agricultural products, ammonium nitrate is used to produce fertilizers.
• In the daily household kitchen, Acid plays a vital role in enhancing the flavor and the quality of the food; vinegar is an essential acid used by women and restaurants globally.
• Among the category of cleansing agents, almost all of these contain acid content; However, the concentration of Acid in them is very lower, which is in dilute form, but still, it can remove stains from windows, tables, floors, and utensils.
• Most importantly, Acid is the backbone of the food packaging industry because it resists the growth of microorganisms that make the food last longer. In simple words, we can say that industries using preservatives use it.

pH of Acid

Whenever we determine the difference between the Acid and base because usually, all the chemicals have either acidic or basic properties in them, their range is mentioned whenever we do the pH test, so pH is a special paper that determines the Acid, base, or next substances.

When this strip of paper is dipped inside the acidic liquid, its color remains unchanged, and if its level increases, the substance has a more acidic content.

If the strip of the paper is ripped inside a liquid with basic properties color will change changed to blue, and its p, H value will range between 7 and 4 more. The value of pH, the more basic the liquid is. If the pH range of the liquid comes to seven, it means the substance is chemically neutral.

The Litmus Test for the Identification of Acid or a Base

Litmus is a type of substance that is extracted from a special type of plant called Lichen; it comes in two colors in the market one is Blue, and the other one is Red. If the blue litmus paper changes its color to red, then it means the given substance is acidic If the red litmus paper changes its color to blue, the given substance is alkaline or basic. If the color of red litmus or blue litmus paper remains unchanged, then the given substance is acidic and basic, respectively.

Some Natural Indicators for the Determination of Acid or Base

Turmeric is one of the famous natural indicators easily available in a daily household kitchen; it is naturally yellow, and when it comes in contact with the base, its color changes to blue. In the case of Acid, its color remains unchanged.