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Tips
Treating an Ant Bite
Illustration of applying a base to an acidic ant bite.
Click to zoom
Applying moist baking soda (a base) neutralises the formic acid from an ant bite.
Apply the concept of neutralisation to solve real-world problems like ant bites, soil pH, and industrial waste.
How neutralisation treats ant bites.
Imagine you are observing a butterfly in the garden and suddenly, a red ant bites your hand! This leaves your skin red with a sharp, stinging pain.
When an ant bites, it injects an acidic liquid called formic acid into your skin. This acid is what causes the uncomfortable stinging sensation.
Illustration of applying a base to an acidic ant bite.
Applying moist baking soda (a base) neutralises the formic acid from an ant bite.
How farmers adjust soil pH using neutralisation.
Plants need the right soil conditions to grow healthy and strong. However, excessive use of chemical fertilisers can make the soil too acidic, causing plants to struggle.
When the soil is too acidic, farmers treat it with bases like lime (calcium oxide). The base neutralises the excess acid, restoring the soil's balance.
Treating industrial waste before releasing it into water bodies.
Industrial factories often produce a large amount of liquid waste. Many of these factory wastes contain strong acids.
If this acidic waste is released directly into lakes or rivers, it will harm or kill fish and other aquatic organisms, disrupting the entire ecosystem.
Solving the opening hook mystery.
Fill blanks connecting the problem with the chemical fix.
When an ant bites, it injects an acidic liquid known as acid into the skin. To relieve the stinging pain, you can neutralise the acid by rubbing moist baking , which acts as a base. In agriculture, if the soil becomes too acidic due to excessive use of chemical fertilisers, farmers treat it with . On the other hand, if the soil is too basic, adding matter will help release acids to neutralise it. Additionally, industrial factory waste is often acidic and can harm aquatic life. Therefore, factory waste must be neutralised by adding substances before it is released into lakes and rivers.