--- title: Alkalis and soda, and how they cancel acids — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Alkalis and soda, and how they cancel acids», a lesson of the chemistry course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Lick a lemon and it is sour; taste a tiny pinch of baking soda and it is bitter and soapy. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Chemistry](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/) / Alkalis and soda, and how they cancel… # Alkalis and soda, and how they cancel acids Lesson 16 of the chemistry course of Mova's primary school: 21 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/0/) — Lick a lemon and it is sour; taste a tiny pinch of baking soda and it is bitter and soapy. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/1/) — Baking soda is a mild alkali, the opposite of an acid. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/2/) — When an acid meets an alkali, they react and cancel each other out: this is called neutralisation. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/3/) — If they cancel exactly, they make water and a salt, a chemist's word for a whole family of substances, not only the salt on your chips. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/4/) — Dad takes an antacid tablet for heartburn: the alkali in it cancels some stomach acid and the burning eases. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/5/) — Gardeners spread lime, an alkali, on sour soil for the same reason. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/6/) — Scientists measure acids and alkalis on the pH scale from 0 to 14: below 7 is acid, 7 is neutral like pure water, above 7 is alkali. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/7/) — Strong alkalis, like oven cleaner, can burn skin even worse than some acids, so they say "wear gloves". - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/8/) — Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) is a mild alkali; it tastes bitter and soapy, not sour. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/9/) — Alkalis react with acids and cancel them out; this is called neutralisation. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/10/) — Antacid tablets contain an alkali that cancels some stomach acid; medicines are taken only as an adult or doctor directs. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/11/) — Bacteria on teeth make acid from sugar, which damages enamel; toothpaste is slightly alkaline, and fluoride in it makes enamel tougher. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/12/) — Soap is slightly alkaline and feels slippery; strong alkalis like oven cleaner can burn skin badly. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/13/) — The rule "bee stings are acid, wasp stings are alkali" is mostly a myth; venom works mainly through proteins, and taking the sting out quickly and cold water help more than kitchen cures. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/14/) — An allergic reaction to a sting needs a doctor straight away. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/15/) — Gardeners add lime, an alkali, to make sour soil less acidic; blueberries and rhododendrons like acidic soil, so they are not limed. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/16/) — The pH scale runs from 0 to 14: below 7 is acid, 7 is neutral, above 7 is alkali, and the stronger the acid, the lower the number. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/17/) — Pure water is pH 7, lemon juice about 2, soap about 9 to 10, bleach about 12 to 13; milk is close to neutral, just below 7. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/18/) — Hydrangeas growing in acidic soil take in aluminium and turn blue; in alkaline soil they stay pink, so changing the soil can change the colour. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/19/) — Baking soda is a mild alkali and a gentle scrub that helps loosen burnt food; mixing it with vinegar makes fizz that uses both up and does little cleaning. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/16-alkalis-and-soda/20/) — When an acid and an alkali exactly cancel, they make water and a salt; most such salts are not for eating. - ← previous: [Acids in the kitchen](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/15-acids-in-the-kitchen/) - next →: [Indicators: the red-cabbage rainbow](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/17-indicators-the-red-cabbage-rainbow/) - ↑ back to [Chemistry](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/)