Properties of Bases

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Today we would be discussing about the properties of bases. We shall divide the properties of bases into physical properties and chemical properties.


Physical properties of bases;

1) A caustic base is corrosive: This implies that a concentrated base solution could burn off your skin and destructively interact with other surfaces. Caustic potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide are important examples of caustic bases. For the definition of a concentrated solution, check out the post on June 23, 2023 found on the page timeline.

2) A base turns red litmus paper to blue. Litmus paper is a type of indicator. An indicator is a substance that tells us whether a substance is acidic, basic or neutral. We shall discuss in detail about the chemistry behind the working of Acid – Base indicators shortly.

3) Bases are slippery to touch – Bases actually feel like soap when you touch them.

4) Bases have a bitter taste. A classic example of a bitter base is quinine. It is a substance used as an antimalarial medication and obtained from the bark of a  Remijia or Cinchona tree.

5) Strong base solutions serve as electrolytes; When direct current is passed through a solution of a strong base, an electrochemical cell is set up as the solution begins to conduct electricity.


Chemical properties of a base;

1) Reaction with acids; Acids can combine with a base to form a salt and water. We shall discuss salts in detail shortly. Two reactions that illustrate this property are shown below;

NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) --->NaCl(aq) + H2O(l)

Base              Acid               Salt             Water

CuO(s)  + H2SO4(aq)  ---->CuSO4(aq) + H2O(l)

Base         Acid                       Salt                Water

2) Bases can react with ammonium salts to produce ammonia gas as typified below;

NaOH(aq) + NH4NO3(aq) -->NaNO3(aq) + H2O(l) + NH3(g)


Tomorrow shall be quite interesting! We would look at one biological importance of a certain class of inorganic bases and that would lead us into the larger subject of considering the practical uses of bases. See you then!


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