Acids and Bases

by Gen

For thousands of years people have known that vinegar, lemon juice and many other foods taste sour. However, it was not until a few hundred years ago that it was dicovered why these things taste sour. The term acid, in fact, comes from the Latin term acere, which means "sour".

In the 17th century, the English writer and amateur chemist Robert Boyle first labeled substances as either acids or bases according to these characteristics:

Acids taste sour, are corrosive to metals, change litmus red, and become less basic when mixed with bases.

Bases feel slippery, change litmus blue, and become less basic when mixed with acids.