happen yourself in the following experiment, using
the acid and base dilute enough so that they will not hurt you:

EXPERIMENT 111. Although strong hydrochloric acid and strong
caustic soda are dangerous, if they are diluted with enough
water they are perfectly harmless. You will find two bottles,
one labeled "_caustic soda_ (NaOH) diluted for tasting,"
and the other labeled "_hydrochloric acid_ (HCl) diluted
for tasting." From one bottle take a little in the medicine
dropper and let a drop fall on your tongue. Taste the contents
of the other bottle in the same way. _It is not usually safe
to taste things in the laboratory. Taste only those things
which are marked "for tasting."_

Now put a teaspoonful of the same hydrochloric acid into a
clean evaporating dish. Lay a piece of litmus paper in the
bottom of the dish. With a medicine dropper gradually add the
dilute caustic soda (NaOH), stirring as you add it. Watch the
litmus paper. When the litmus paper begins to turn blue, add
the dilute caustic soda drop by drop until the litmus paper
stays blue when you stir the mixture. Now add a drop or two
more of the acid until the litmus turns pink again. Taste the
mixture.

Put the evaporating dish on the wire gauze over a Bunsen
burner, and bring the liquid to a boil. Boil it gently until
it begins to sputter. Then take the Bunsen burner in your hand
and hold it under the dish for a couple of seconds; remove it
for a few seconds, and then again hold it under the dish for a
couple of seconds; remove it once more, and keep this up until
the water has all evaporated and left dry white crystals and
powder in the bottom of the dish. As soon as the dish is cool,
taste the crystals and powder. What are they?

Is salt an acid or a base?

Whenever you put acids and bases together, you get some kind of salt
and water. Thus the chlorine (Cl) of the hydrochloric acid (HCl)
combines with the sodium (Na) of caustic soda (NaOH) to form ordinary
table salt, sodium chloride (NaCl), while the hydrogen (H) of the
hydrochloric acid (HCl) combines with the oxygen and hydrogen (OH) of
the caustic soda (NaOH) to form water (H_2O). Chemists write this as
follows:

NaOH+HCl -> NaCl+H_2O.

WHY SOUR MILK PANCAKES ARE NOT SOUR. It is because bases neutralize
acids that you put baking soda with sour milk when you make sour milk