Question -
Answer -
(a) To relieve indigestion, we take an antacid such as milk of magnesia. It neutralises the effect of excessive acid.
(b) When an ant bites, it injects the acidic liquid into the skin. This acidic liquid is formic acid, which leads to inflammation to the skin. The effect of the sting can be neutralised by rubbing calamine solution which contains zinc carbonate. The zinc carbonate is a weak base and causes no harm to the skin.
(c) The wastes of many factories usually contain acids. If they are allowed to flow into the water bodies without neutralising it properly, then the acids will kill fish and other aquatic organisms. So factory wastes must be neutralised by adding some basic substances into the wastes before disposing these into water bodies.