Flexi Says: When an acid and a base react, the reaction is called a neutralization reaction. That’s because the reaction produces neutral products. Water is always one product, and a salt is also produced. A salt is a neutral ionic compound. Titration must be performed to know what volumes of the acid and base must be mixed to create a salt solution. In order to perform an acid-base titration, the chemist must have a way to visually detect that the neutralization reaction has occurred. An indicator is a substance that has a distinctly different color when in an acidic or basic solution. A commonly used indicator for strong acid-strong base titrations is phenolphthalein. Solutions in which a few drops of phenolphthalein have been added turn from colorless to brilliant pink as the solution turns from acidic to basic. After the necessary volumes of acid and base are determined, they can be mixed together without the indicator to create a salt and water solution.
