Inside the stomach, a fascinating process takes place every day: the digestion of food. This process relies on stomach acid, a highly corrosive substance that not only helps break down food but also destroys harmful bacteria. However, the stomach has a natural defense system to protect itself from the acid—a mucous layer that lines the stomach walls and prevents erosion.
When this protective barrier is compromised, the acid can damage the stomach lining, leading to the formation of ulcers. In some cases, the issue is not with the stomach lining but with the muscular sphincter at the top of the stomach. This sphincter acts as a valve, preventing stomach acid from moving upward into the oesophagus. If it becomes weak or fails to close properly, acid escapes, causing a condition known as acid reflux. Acid reflux often results in heartburn or oesophagitis (inflammation of the oesophagus).
To address these issues, antacids are commonly used. Antacids are substances that neutralize stomach acid by reacting with it. These medications contain alkaline (basic) compounds that undergo a neutralization reaction with the acid, reducing its corrosive properties. This reaction alleviates the pain of ulcers and the burning sensation associated with acid reflux.
During the neutralization process, gas may form, leading to flatulence (wind). To mitigate this, some antacids include simeticone, which reduces the foaming effect and prevents excessive gas buildup. Additionally, many antacids incorporate alginates, substances that form a gel-like layer on top of stomach contents. This gel acts as a physical barrier, preventing acid from reaching and irritating the oesophagus.
Through these mechanisms, antacids provide effective relief, ensuring that the stomach’s environment remains balanced and functional while protecting other parts of the digestive system from harm.
To conclude, Antacids are medicines based on the combination of various compounds with various salts of calcium, magnesium, and aluminium as active ingredients, which mitigate heartburn and indigestion by reducing the amount of acid in the stomach. Therefore, it neutralize the acid in the stomach by stopping an enzyme that creates acid to break down food for digestion (pepsin). There’re two types of antacids’ forms; starting with the liquid form which work faster than the chewable tablets-second form of antacids’ forms. With this conclusion we formulated a research question
Objective:
Design an experiment to compare the effectiveness of various antacids by measuring how much acid each one can neutralize.