Chemistry Lesson: Ph Tests for Acids & Bases : Chemistry Ph Test for Acids & Bases

Okay today what we're going to do is we're going to do chemistry and we're going to make
it simple. What we're going to do is we're going to do an experiment on how to test for
acids and bases. But before we do this experiment, we have to explain what an acid is and what
a base is. So let's go ahead and look over here. An acid has a pH that is less than 7.
Now acids are sour, they conduct electricity and they react with metals to produce hydrogen
gas, kind of like lemon juice, has a low acidic base. Now let's look and see what a base is.
A base has a pH that is higher than 7. Bases are bitter, feel slippery and dissolve oils
and fats. Ammonia is considered to be a base. But let's find out and see what a pH exactly
is. This is a pH scale that is up here and this is what we're going to test for. A pH
scale is rated from 0 to 14. When you get into the lower areas, that means that something
is very acidic, meaning it is very acid based. When you get to the middle, it's neutral and
when you get over here, it relatively has a no acid base at all. And this is what we're
going to test for. We're going to test for common household items. And why would you
even test for an acid base? Well it's very important because in this case, too much of
something can be very bad for you. Because don't forget, acids can crude. For instance,
one of the most everyday thing you check for is your swimming pool. If you put too much
chlorine in your swimming pool, the acid base is so high, you end up with very red eyes
and very sore skin, very scratchy skin. It's very uncomfortable and it can be very dangerous.
So in this case you can actually see that acid can be very good for you or it can be
very bad for you. So you always want to check the levels of something. Especially if your
doctor tells you, "please don't eat or drink anything that has too much of an acid base,
it can upset your stomach". So here we go, we're going to conduct the experiment.