WHAT IS NEUTRALISATION?
When an acidic solution is mixed with a basic solution, both the solutions neutralise the effect of each other. When an acid solution and a base solution are mixed in suitable amounts, both the acidic nature of the acid and the basic nature of the base are destroyed. The resulting solution is neither acidic nor basic. Touch the test tube immediately after neutralisation. What do you observe? In neutralisation reaction, heat is always produced or evolved. The evolved heat raises the temperature of the reaction mixture.
In neutralisation reaction, a new substance is formed. This is called salt. Salt may be acidic, basic, or neutral in nature. Thus, neutralisation can be defined as follows:
The reaction between an acid and a base is known as neutralisation. Salt and water are produced in this process with the evolution of heat.
Acid+Base \(\rightarrow\) Salt+Water
(Heat is evolved)
Experiment showing Neutralisation reaction
The following reaction is an example:
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) + Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) \(\rightarrow\) Sodium chloride (NaCl) + Water (H2O)
Boojho added dilute sulphuric acid to lime water. Will the reaction mixture become hot or cool?
Figure 5.4: Process of neutralisation
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK