Glossary
neutralization
Neutralization is the reaction of an acid with a base to make a salt and water, moving the pH toward 7.
Neutralization is what happens when an acid and a base react: the base takes up the hydrogen ions (H⁺) the acid was giving off, and the two cancel, forming a salt and water. Because the acid and the base counteract, the pH moves toward 7 (at 25 °C). A familiar example is an antacid (a base) soothing an acid stomach, or baking soda neutralizing a spill of acid. The common error is to think the products are another acid or base; they are a salt and water, with a pH between the two starting values. It is a useful idea because it explains why a base is used to clean up an acid: the two simply cancel — when just enough base is added to match the acid, neither the sharp acid nor the slippery base is left over.
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Source: OpenStax Chemistry 1e and Chemistry: Atoms First 1e, first editions (CC BY 4.0). Each definition restates the Chemistry guide in this exam, which carries the per-source citations on its own page. (OpenStax 1e accessed 2026-10-08)