Tuesday, December 22, 2009

If lemon juice is an acid and hand soap (liquid) is a base, how come they don't fizz and chemically react?

When acids and bases combine they're supposed to cause a chemical reaction right, fizz, release a gas, and form water and some sort of salt correct? I know that Lemon Juice (squeezed from lemons) is an acid and hand soap is a base. Then how come when I combine the 2 together (in a bowl) I don't get any chemical reaction? No fizz, hiss, color change etc.If lemon juice is an acid and hand soap (liquid) is a base, how come they don't fizz and chemically react?
The 'fizz' reaction you speak of is commonly associated when NaHCO3 or Na2CO3 are used as bases. These bases will generate CO2 upon neutralization. Soap is a fatty acid salt - no CO2 is emitted when it is neutralized...If lemon juice is an acid and hand soap (liquid) is a base, how come they don't fizz and chemically react?
the soap must be neutral or the stuff would be caustic. The ingredients are set at a particular PH value like our swimming pool waters if were not so then the soaps would leave our skin rather wrinkled from a drying process from the alkali.

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