A burette is a glass tube that has fine gradations and a stopcock at the bottom of it, and is typically used in a laboratory to accurately measure liquids, and to dispense them (hence the stopcock).
The difference between an acid and a base (also known as an alkali) is that an acid contributes an excess of hydrogen (H) ions to a solution, whereas a base contributes an excess of hydroxide (OH) ions to a solution.
Measuring acids and bases is done by measuring the pH levels. This ranges from 0 to 14 with 0 indicating a strong acid presence, which means that there are many hydrogen ions, and 14 indicating that the solution is strongly alkaline and has surplus hydroxide ions. If the pH level is 7, the solution is neutral and therefore balances with equal amounts of hydrogen and hydroxide: Hydrogen plus Hydroxide equals Water (H + OH = H²O).
It is possible for acids and bases to react with other substances and are often caustic. These reactions cause a solution to be formed that contains a certain kind of salt depending upon what kind of acid and base were used.
The first person to label substances as either acids or bases was the Irish writer and amateur chemist, Robert Boyle in the 17th century. He defined them by saying that acids taste sour and are corrosive to metals. They also change litmus (a dye derived from lichens) to red, and that they become less acidic if they are mixed with a base. He described bases as feeling slippery, they change litmus to blue and when they are mixed with acids they become less basic.
It wasn't until 200 years later though that an explanation for the way that acids and bases behave could be explained.
The difference between an acid and a base (also known as an alkali) is that an acid contributes an excess of hydrogen (H) ions to a solution, whereas a base contributes an excess of hydroxide (OH) ions to a solution.
Measuring acids and bases is done by measuring the pH levels. This ranges from 0 to 14 with 0 indicating a strong acid presence, which means that there are many hydrogen ions, and 14 indicating that the solution is strongly alkaline and has surplus hydroxide ions. If the pH level is 7, the solution is neutral and therefore balances with equal amounts of hydrogen and hydroxide: Hydrogen plus Hydroxide equals Water (H + OH = H²O).
It is possible for acids and bases to react with other substances and are often caustic. These reactions cause a solution to be formed that contains a certain kind of salt depending upon what kind of acid and base were used.
The first person to label substances as either acids or bases was the Irish writer and amateur chemist, Robert Boyle in the 17th century. He defined them by saying that acids taste sour and are corrosive to metals. They also change litmus (a dye derived from lichens) to red, and that they become less acidic if they are mixed with a base. He described bases as feeling slippery, they change litmus to blue and when they are mixed with acids they become less basic.
It wasn't until 200 years later though that an explanation for the way that acids and bases behave could be explained.
