Base (chemistry) Base (chemistry) In chemistry, bases are substances that, in aqueous solution, release hydroxide (OH) ions, are slippery to the touch, can taste bitter if an alkali, change the color of indicators (e.g., turn red litmus paper blue), react with acids to form salts, promote certain chemical reactions (base catalysis), accept protons from any proton donor or contain completely or partially displaceable OH ions. Examples of bases are the hydroxides of the alkali metals and the alkaline earth metals (NaOH, Ca(OH), etc., see alkali hydroxide and alkaline earth hydroxide). These particular substances produce hydroxide ions (OH) in aqueous solutions, and are
Chemistry: A Volatile History than a decade earlier in 1661, a year after the Royal Society opened, Boyle deposited "The Sceptical Chymist" in its vaults. This book is usually regarded as the turning point that signaled the transition from alchemy to chemistry. "The Sceptical Chymist" was innovative in several ways: it was not written in Latin, as had been the tradition for alchemist books, but in English; it dispensed with the old chemical symbols for various elements, using English names instead; and most crucially it was actually published, as opposed to kept secret. Boyle was willing to share his discoveries to allow others to