Acids and Bases

Have you ever tasted a bright yellow lemon. It makes your mouth pucker up. Pucker, pucker, pucker. Have you ever played with soap bubbles in the bath. They feel so slippery and smooth on your fingers. Pop. These tastes and feelings are our special secrets. We are all around you, making things interesting. Hello. We are Acids and Bases. I am Acid, and I make things sour. And I am Base, and I make things feel slippery. We are a team of opposites that you can find everywhere, even in your kitchen and your bathtub.

Long, long ago, before there were cars or tall buildings, people discovered our secrets. They did not know our names yet, but they knew what we could do. When they picked yummy fruits from a tree, they would taste my sour side. I, Acid, was in the juicy berries and sour grapes. It made their food taste exciting. Then, when they cleaned with ashes from a warm fire mixed with water, they felt my slippery side. I, Base, made their hands feel smooth and helped them get things clean. They learned about us just by tasting and touching the world around them.

We are your helpers every single day. When you drink a big glass of yummy orange juice in the morning, that’s me, Acid, helping it taste so good and fresh. I help you get your vitamins. Then, when it’s bathtime, my partner is there to help. That’s me, Base, in your soap and shampoo. I make lots of bubbles and help wash all the dirt away so you can be sparkly clean. Together, we make the world a fun and interesting place. We make food taste yummy, we help keep you clean, and we love being your secret helpers.