Question

Explain antacids with suitable examples.

Answer 1

HINT: We often use antacids for medicinal purposes. We intake it in case of acid reflux or heartburn. The most common antacids contain hydroxide of magnesium and aluminium and carbonates of calcium. You can use this to answer the question.

COMPLETE STEP BY STEP SOLUTION: Firstly let us discuss what antacids are and then we will discuss its examples.
Antacid is a chemical compound that we use to neutralize the acidity of an acid. We often take antacids as medications to neutralize stomach acidity, heartburns and indigestion.
Now we will discuss how it works.
We know that sometimes the amount of production of acid in our stomach increases. Due to this we might experience acid reflux. Acid reflux is a condition where the contents of the stomach rise up into the esophagus. In this case we intake antacids that contain alkaline ions. It neutralises the gastric acid and helps to stop acid reflux.
Now let us see the types and examples of antacids.
There are different types of antacids like effervescents and altgeld rates.
The effervescent tablets dissolve in water and release carbon dioxide which causes effervescence and thus the name. The main ingredient is citric acid and sodium bicarbonate. These react upon contact with water and carbon dioxide. They might also contain aspirin, tartaric acid or sodium carbonate. The most common example is ENO, Alka-Seltzer etc.
Then we have to algelate. It contains aluminium hydroxide that is preferred over sodium carbonate due to its insolubility. Aluminium hydroxide is insoluble therefore does not increase the pH above 7 and does not cause excess secretion of stomach acid.
The most common example is Alu-Cap, Gaviscon etc.
We can understand the required answer from the above discussion.

NOTE: We often use antacids in case of upset stomach and heartburns as it is easily available over the counter but it has few side effects too. Antacids containing magnesium cause diarrhoea and the ones with calcium and aluminium cause constipation. Long term use of antacids might cause kidney stones. Using aluminium for a long time might cause the risk of osteoporosis which is a skeletal disorder.