Neutralisation reaction
- CBSE · NCERT Class 10, Ch 2 Acids, Bases and Salts
A neutralisation reaction is the reaction between an acid and a base that gives a salt and water.
An acid and a base cancel out each other's effect. The general form is: acid + base → salt + water. The salt takes its metal part from the base and its other part from the acid.
You can watch it happen with an indicator. Add a few drops of phenolphthalein to a base, and it turns pink. Add acid drop by drop. The pink colour goes once the base is used up. The change in pH is what the indicator shows.
A small example
Sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid: NaOH + HCl → NaCl + H₂O. The salt is sodium chloride, common salt. Count the atoms. The left side has 1 Na, 1 O, 2 H and 1 Cl. The right side has 1 Na and 1 Cl in NaCl, and 2 H and 1 O in water. The two sides match.
Where marks go
CBSE's 2026-27 Science sample paper has no neutralisation question. It does test equations. In Question 29, the 2026-27 Science marking scheme gives 1 whole mark for each corrected equation, with the right formulas and numbers.
So a neutralisation answer should give the full equation: the right salt, water as a product, and a balance check. Our note on where the marks go in CBSE Science shows how equations are marked.
Sources
Facts last checked against these sources on 30 September 2026.
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