Okay, here's a script for a short play (10-15 minutes) explaining the concept of **Acids, Bases, and

Salts**.

**Title:** The Curious Case of the Lemonade and the Laundry

**Characters:**

* **Anya:** A curious and enthusiastic student (Grade 9).

* **Mr. Sharma:** A friendly and knowledgeable Chemistry teacher.

* **Rohan:** Anya's slightly skeptical classmate.

**Setting:**

A simple classroom setting with a table, a few beakers, a lemon, baking soda, vinegar, and some litmus
paper (red and blue).

**(The scene opens with Anya and Rohan in the classroom after school. Mr. Sharma is tidying up.)**

**Anya:** (Looking at a lemon on the table) Mr. Sharma, I was just wondering… why does this lemon
taste so sour?

**Mr. Sharma:** (Smiling) That's an excellent question, Anya! It's all thanks to the wonderful world of
chemistry.

**Rohan:** (Scoffs slightly) Chemistry in a lemon? Seriously?

**Anya:** An acid? Like the dangerous ones we see in labs?

**Mr. Sharma:** Some acids can be dangerous in concentrated forms, yes. But many acids are naturally
found in foods and are perfectly safe, even beneficial. The acid in lemon is called **citric acid**. It's
what gives it that characteristic sourness.

**(Mr. Sharma picks up a piece of blue litmus paper and a drop of lemon juice.)**

**Mr. Sharma:** Let me show you something interesting. This is blue litmus paper. Watch what
happens when I put a drop of lemon juice on it.

**(Mr. Sharma places a drop of lemon juice on the blue litmus paper. It turns red.)**

**Anya:** Wow! It turned red!

**Mr. Sharma:** Exactly! One of the key properties of acids is that they turn blue litmus paper red.

**Rohan:** So, anything sour is an acid?

**Mr. Sharma:** Not necessarily *everything* sour, but it's a good general indicator. Vinegar, for
example, also tastes sour and contains **acetic acid**. Let's try that.

**(Mr. Sharma takes a piece of blue litmus paper and a drop of vinegar, repeating the process. The
litmus paper turns red again.)**
**Anya:** Okay, I think I'm getting it. Acids are sour and turn blue litmus red. What about the opposite?

**Mr. Sharma:** That's where **bases** come in. Bases are often bitter to taste (though you should
never taste anything in the lab without permission!) and they have a soapy feel.

**(Mr. Sharma picks up a container of baking soda.)**

**Mr. Sharma:** Do you know what this is, Rohan?

**Rohan:** Baking soda? My mom uses it for baking.

**Mr. Sharma:** That's right! Baking soda is a common base, chemically known as **sodium
bicarbonate**. Now, let's see what happens when we test it with litmus paper.

**(Mr. Sharma mixes a small amount of baking soda with water in a beaker. He then dips a piece of red
litmus paper into the solution.)**

**Anya:** Look! The red paper is turning blue!

**Mr. Sharma:** Precisely! Bases have the opposite effect on litmus paper; they turn red litmus blue.

**Rohan:** So, acids and bases are kind of opposites?

**Mr. Sharma:** In many ways, yes. They can even react with each other in a process called
**neutralization**.

**Anya:** Neutralization? What happens then?

**(Mr. Sharma takes a clean beaker and pours a small amount of vinegar into it. He then slowly adds the
baking soda solution, stirring gently. Bubbles start to form.)**

**Rohan:** Whoa! What's happening?

**Mr. Sharma:** This is the neutralization reaction in action. The acetic acid in the vinegar is reacting
with the sodium bicarbonate (base) in the baking soda. One of the products is carbon dioxide gas, which
you see as bubbles. The other products are water and a salt called **sodium acetate**.

**Anya:** So, even something like baking soda and vinegar can create a salt?

**Mr. Sharma:** Exactly! Many of the salts we use in our daily lives are formed through neutralization
reactions. Table salt, which we use in our food, is sodium chloride, formed from the reaction of
hydrochloric acid (an acid) and sodium hydroxide (a base).

**(Mr. Sharma points to the beakers.)**

**Mr. Sharma:** So, to recap:

* **Acids** taste sour and turn blue litmus paper red (like the citric acid in the lemon and acetic acid in
vinegar).

* **Bases** often taste bitter, feel soapy, and turn red litmus paper blue (like sodium bicarbonate in
baking soda).

* When an acid and a base react, they **neutralize** each other, forming a **salt** and usually water.
**Rohan:** This is actually quite interesting. So, when my mom uses baking soda to clean, is she using
its basic properties?

**Mr. Sharma:** That's right! Bases can often dissolve grease and oils, which is why they are used in
many cleaning products.

**Anya:** And when we have indigestion, sometimes we take antacids. Are those bases?

**Mr. Sharma:** Excellent connection, Anya! Stomach acid can sometimes cause discomfort. Antacids
contain mild bases that neutralize the excess acid in your stomach, providing relief.

**Rohan:** So, acids, bases, and salts are all around us!

**Mr. Sharma:** Precisely! From the food we eat to the cleaning products we use, and even inside our
own bodies, these chemical concepts play a vital role. Keep observing and asking questions, and you'll
discover even more fascinating chemistry in your everyday life!

**(Mr. Sharma smiles at Anya and Rohan, who are now looking at the lemon and baking soda with
newfound understanding.)**

**(The scene ends.)**

**Possible Discussion Points/Activities After the Play:**

* Discuss other examples of acids, bases, and salts found in everyday life.

* Perform simple litmus paper tests with other household substances (with adult supervision).

* Research the uses of different types of salts.

This script aims to be engaging, easy to understand, and fit within the 10-15 minute timeframe. You can
adjust the dialogue and examples to suit your specific needs and the level of your students. Remember
to emphasize safety when discussing acids and bases in a real lab setting.