acid / acidity
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acid
A chemical compound that has a pH value below 7 in aqueous solution, tastes sour, and reacts with many substances. Examples include citric acid or hydrochloric acid.
Vorsicht, diese Säure ist stark ätzend.
Careful, this acid is highly corrosive.
'Die Säure' (acid/acidity) is the noun related to the adjective 'sauer' (sour). This connection helps you understand the basic meaning in all contexts, whether chemical, related to taste, or figurative.
Die Zitrone ist sauer, weil sie viel Säure enthält.
The lemon is sour because it contains a lot of acid.
You can recognize the chemical meaning from signal words like 'ätzend' (corrosive), 'chemisch' (chemical), 'Labor' (laboratory), 'neutralisieren' (to neutralize), or from specific names like 'Salzsäure' (hydrochloric acid) or 'Schwefelsäure' (sulfuric acid).
Im Chemieunterricht haben wir mit verdünnter Säure experimentiert.
In chemistry class, we experimented with diluted acid.
When it comes to taste, 'Säure' (acidity) is often connected with foods and drinks such as 'Wein' (wine), 'Kaffee' (coffee), 'Obst' (fruit), or 'Joghurt' (yogurt). Adjectives like 'angenehm' (pleasant), 'frisch' (fresh), or 'ausgewogen' (balanced) describe the quality.
Dieser Apfel hat eine sehr erfrischende Säure.
This apple has a very refreshing acidity.
You can recognize the figurative, negative meaning in the context of communication. Typical words are 'Bemerkung' (remark), 'Kritik' (criticism), 'Stimme' (voice), or 'Worte' (words), often in the phrase 'voller Säure' (full of acid).
Seine Antwort war voller Säure und hat die Atmosphäre vergiftet.
His answer was full of acid and poisoned the atmosphere.
basis / base
'die Basis' and 'die Säure' can both refer to chemical substances. In this chemical sense, they are opposites: an acid has a pH value below 7, while a base reacts with acids and is often an alkali. The words can be confusing because in everyday language 'Basis' much more often means 'basis' or 'foundation'. But when the topic is chemistry, pH values, or a reaction with acids, 'Basis' does not mean a starting point, but the opposite of an acid.
Die Säure im Reagenzglas darf niemand mit der Hand berühren.
No one is allowed to touch the acid in the test tube with their hand.
Im Chemieunterricht prüft Hannes, ob die Flüssigkeit eine Basis ist.
In chemistry class, Hannes checks whether the liquid is a base.