neutraloitumisreaktio

Neutraloitumisreaktio, known in English as a neutralization reaction, is a type of chemical reaction in which an acid and a base react quantitatively with each other. In a reaction in water, neutralization results in there being no excess of hydrogen or hydroxide ions present in the solution. The pH of the resulting solution is typically close to 7, assuming the acid and base are of comparable strength.

The general form of a neutralization reaction is:

Acid + Base → Salt + Water

For example, the reaction between hydrochloric acid (a strong acid) and sodium hydroxide (a strong base) produces sodium chloride (a salt) and water. The chemical equation for this reaction is:

HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H₂O

In this reaction, the hydrogen ions (H⁺) from the acid combine with the hydroxide ions (OH⁻) from the base to form water (H₂O). The remaining ions, the cation from the base (Na⁺) and the anion from the acid (Cl⁻), form the salt (NaCl).

Neutralization reactions are important in many chemical processes and biological systems. For instance, in biology, the stomach uses hydrochloric acid to digest food, and this acid is neutralized by bases produced by the pancreas to prevent damage to the intestinal lining. In industry, neutralization is used to adjust the pH of wastewater before it is discharged. Titration, a common laboratory technique for determining the concentration of a substance, often relies on neutralization reactions.