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What is Neutralisation?
It is the process where acid and base mix to form salt and water .
- Acid and base neutralise each other completely.
- Salt and water are formed in neutralisation reactions.
- Heat is released during the neutralisation process.
- Litmus paper changes colour to show neutralisation complete.
Activity: Neutralisation of Lemon Juice
What you need:
- Lemon juice
- Lime water
- Blue litmus solution
- Test tube
- Dropper
- Water
What to do:
- Step 1: Take one drop of lemon juice in a test tube and add around twenty drops of water to it
- Step 2: Add a drop of blue litmus solution to it
- Step 3: Slowly add drops of lime water to this test tube with the help of a dropper and swirl it well
- Step 4: Observe when the colour of the solution changes from red to blue
Observations
What you see:
- Blue litmus turns red when lemon juice added
- Solution remains red with more lemon juice
- Red colour changes to blue when lime water added
- Solution becomes neutral when colour change complete
- Test tube feels slightly warm during mixing
Why this happens:
We have studied that acids turn blue litmus red and bases turn red litmus blue . This is why the lemon juice first makes the litmus red , then lime water neutralises the acid and turns it blue .
- Lemon juice contains acid that makes litmus red
- Lime water is basic and neutralises the acid
- Neutralisation makes the solution neither acidic nor basic
Question (Page Not Specified): What shows that the solution in the test tube is no longer acidic?
Answer:
It is the colour change from red to blue that shows neutralisation .
- Red litmus turns blue when acid neutralised
- Blue colour means solution is no longer acidic
- Lime water has neutralised the acid effect
Section Summary: What Happens When Acidic Substances Mix with Basic Substances?
