The strengths and weaknesses of acids and bases - George Zaidan and Charles Morton
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-acids-and-bases-george-zaidan-and-charles-morton Vinegar may have a powerful smell, but did you know it's actually...
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Acids and bases are everywhere. They're used to make foods, soaps and detergents, fertilizers, explosives, dyes, plastics, pesticides, even paper. Our stomachs are very acidic. Our blood is slightly basic. Our proteins are made up of amino acids, and the letters in our genetic code, those As, Ts, Cs, and Gs, are all bases. You were probably taught how acids and bases behave on the molecular level. You were probably never taught that a long time ago, like ancient Greek ago, before anyone knew about atoms or molecules, acids and bases were defined by how they behaved. Acids tasted sour and corroded metal. Bases felt slippery and could somehow counteract acids. When molecules dissolved in water interact, they are exchanging two main curr...
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Acids and bases are everywhere. They're used to make foods, soaps and detergents, fertilizers, explosives, dyes, plastics, pesticides, even paper. Our stomachs are very acidic. Our blood is slightly basic. Our proteins are made up of amino acids, and the letters in our genetic code, those As, Ts, Cs, and Gs, are all bases. You were probably taught how acids and bases behave on the molecular level. You were probably never taught that a long time ago, like ancient Greek ago, before anyone knew about atoms or molecules, acids and bases were defined by how they behaved. Acids tasted sour and corroded metal. Bases felt slippery and could somehow counteract acids. When molecules dissolved in water interact, they are exchanging two main curr...
