Properties of base

Physical Properties of Bases

• Bases taste bitter – There are very few food materials that are alkaline. It is even more important that care be taken in tasting bases. Tasting of bases is more dangerous than tasting acids because of the property of stronger bases to denturate protein.
• Bases release a hydroxide ion in water solution.
• Bases neutralise acids in a neutralization reaction – The word reaction means that an acid plus a base makes water plus a salt. Symbolically where “Y” is the anion of acid “HY”. ‘X’ is the cation of base ‘XOH’ and ‘XY” is the salt in the product, the reaction is

  HY + XOH → HOH + XY

• Bases denature protein – This accounts for the slippery feeling on the hands when exposed to a base. Strong bases that dissolve in water well, such as sodium or potassium lye, are very dangerous because a great amount of the structural material of human beings is made of protein. Serious damage to flesh can be avoided by careful use of strong bases.
• Bases turn red litmus to blue – This is not to say that litmus is the only acid base indicator, but that it is likely the oldest one.