GlossariesGCSE GlossariesGCSE Chemistry GlossaryNeutralisation Reaction

Neutralisation Reaction - GCSE Chemistry Definition

Reviewed by: Richard Boole

Last updated

A neutralisation reaction is a chemical reaction in which an acid reacts with an alkali (or base) to form a salt and water. It happens when hydrogen ions (H+) from the acid combine with hydroxide ions (OH-) from the alkali to form water (H2O), which is neutral:

H+ + OH- → H2O

This reaction cancels out the properties of both the acid and alkali. A typical example is when hydrochloric acid (HCl) reacts with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to form sodium chloride (common table salt) and water:

hydrochloric acid + sodium hydroxide → sodium chloride + water

(HCl) + (NaOH) → (NaCl) + (H2O)

Neutralisation reactions are useful in everyday life, such as treating indigestion with antacids, or adjusting soil pH in agriculture.

Examiner-written GCSE Chemistry revision resources that improve your grades 2x

  • Written by expert teachers and examiners
  • Aligned to exam specifications
  • Everything you need to know, and nothing you don’t
GCSE Chemistry revision resources

Share this article

Richard Boole

Reviewer: Richard Boole

Expertise: Chemistry Content Creator

Richard has taught Chemistry for over 15 years as well as working as a science tutor, examiner, content creator and author. He wasn’t the greatest at exams and only discovered how to revise in his final year at university. That knowledge made him want to help students learn how to revise, challenge them to think about what they actually know and hopefully succeed; so here he is, happily, at SME.

The examiner written revision resources that improve your grades 2x.

Join now