For example, when hydrochloric acid (HCl), a strong acid, reacts with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a strong base, the following reaction occurs:
HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H2O
In this reaction, the hydrogen ions from HCl combine with the hydroxide ions from NaOH to form water. The remaining ions, sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-), combine to form sodium chloride (NaCl), the salt.
Neutralization reactions are important because they can be used to control the pH of a solution. By adding a strong acid or a strong base to a solution, the pH of the solution can be adjusted to a desired level.