How can a solution become more acidic or basic (without becoming charged)?
Certain molecules give off hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions when put into solution. For example, hydrochloric acid (HCl) tends to give off hydrogen ions. I have shown this in the animation here. HCl dissociates in water into hydrogen ions and chloride ions. For every hydrogen ion there is one chloride ion, so there is no electrical charge build-up. But, suddenly, the water isn’t balanced anymore. Instead, there are a lot more hydrogen ions than hydroxide ions. This larger concentration of hydrogen ions is what makes this solution an acid. To the left is a similar animation, but this time, I have made a base. You see, if you add sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to a solution, it dissociates. Upon dissociation, NaOH splits into a sodium ion and a hydroxide ion. When this happens, for every sodium ion there is a hydroxide ion, so there is no electrical charge generated. But, the increase in hydroxide ions causes there to be more hydroxide ions than hydrogen ions. For this reason, this solution is a
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