neutralization

In chemistry, a process occurring when the excess acid (or excess base) in a substance is reacted with added base (or added acid) so that the resulting substance is neither acidic nor basic.

In theory neutralization involves adding acid or base as required to achieve pH 7. When the colour of an indicator is used to test for neutralization, the final pH may differ from pH 7 depending upon the indicator used. It will also differ from pH 7 in reactions between strong acids and weak bases and weak acids and strong bases, because the salt formed will have acidic or basic properties respectively.