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Exploring Substances: Acidic, Basic, and Neutral

Neutralising soil and waste

A farmer's plants grow badly. The soil may be too acidic.

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The idea

Too much fertiliser can turn soil acidic. Fertiliser adds nutrients to a field. Nutrients are the minerals that plants take from soil. An indicator, such as red rose extract, tests the soil.

Lime here is a white powder, or chuna. It is not the lime fruit. Lime can burn skin. Never touch it.

A test shows acidic soil.
Step 1 of 3
  1. A test shows acidic soil.
  2. Add lime. Lime is a base, so it cancels the acid.
  3. Acidic factory waste gets a base before it reaches a lake.

Acidic waste can harm the fish in a lake. So a factory neutralises the waste first. Release means letting the waste flow out of the factory.

For a basic soil, add organic matter, such as compost. Organic matter is rotted plant and animal material.

A neutral soil can still lack nutrients. Then the plants look sick.

Lime treats acidic soil. Acidic waste is neutralised before release.

Jump to lesson

This track

  1. 0 Start here
  2. 1 Three groups, and no tasting
  3. 2 Acids in our food
  4. 3 Bases around us
  5. 4 Turmeric paper and red rose
  6. 5 No change is an answer too
  7. 6 An acid and a base cancel each other
  8. 7 Checkpoint: groups, strips and neutralisation
  9. 8 Indicators from plants
  10. 9 Indicators you can smell
  11. 10 Neutralising soil and waste
  12. 11 Checkpoint: plant indicators, smell and soil
  13. 12 The big picture
  14. 13 Track quiz

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