what are observable characteristics of acids and bases that help with their identification?

Answer 1

Bases: Slippery and Bitter tasting( I would not recommend trying this one with lab chemicals- soap is a safe example)
Turns Blue/Purple in Phenolphthalein solution (pH= 7.1-14)

Acids: Sour tasting (Lemon Juice is a safe example)
Turns Pink/Red in Phenolphthalein solution (pH= 1-6.9)

Also, acids and bases can make salts and H2O when mixed. A way to observe this would be to perform a titration. This is usually used to tell how strong an acid or base is. Let's say we know the strength of an acid, HCl 1M. Start with a set amount(10 mL in a phenolphthalein solution) and add the unknown, NaOH, in very small increments until the solution is VERY slightly purple. Then determine how much you used and used all the recorded data(Amount of HCl and NaOH, and the Molarity of the HCL) to determine the strength of the Base!

Answer 2

Well, i can see that you added in the word observable, therefore this will rule out any touch or tasting of the acid/base. A really easy way to check is to use an acid/base indicator such as brythomol blue, yellow means acid, blue means base and green means neutral. Another way to check this is to drop a piece of metal into the solution and see if it begins to bubble. (acids react with metals to oxidize; this only works with strong acids)

Answer 3

The litmus reaction: it turns into red for acid and blue for bases

Answer 4

im 13 and i just had a test on thiz 2day...bases are slippery, acid turns blue litmus paper red, bases turn red litmus paper blue, bases are sour, acids are bitter!!! thatz all i got!!