We have all experienced the uncomfortable and sometimes painful stomachache. However, not very many people understand the chemical reasoning behind these aches. Many times, stomach pains are caused by acids in the stomach, more formally known as hydrochloric acid (HCl). Of course, hydrochloric acid is inherently acidic off the bat. In fact, normal stomach acid is so acidic that it would damage regular skin cells. These acids are not harmful to the cells of the stomach due to a mucus lining within the stomach, which can withstand the acidity of HCl. However, this stomach acid can become even more acidic than normal, thus, leading to stomach problems.
In order to relieve many stomach aches, it is necessary to reduce the acidity of the stomach. Therefore, one must neutralize the acidic effects of HCl through use of a base. A great base to use for the reduction of stomach acidity is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), more commonly known as baking soda. When NaHCO3 mixes with HCl, the chemical reaction results in the products of NaCl (salt) and H2CO3 (carbonic acid). This carbonic acid then dissociates into H20 (water) and CO2 (carbon dioxide). Once the hydrochloric acid and sodium bicarbonate are transformed into other chemicals, the stomach acidity should be decreased significantly.
I chose this topic because as a little girl, I suffered from frequent stomach aches resulting from high stomach acidity. Now that I am older, I find it very interesting to learn about the chemistry behind these stomach aches, as well as how the medicine I took was able to reduce the acidity.
Submitted by Carol A. Vitellas
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