ELI5, what the heck is the difference between a base and an acid?

Question

ELI5, what the heck is the difference between a base and an acid?

In: 2

Answer 1

They’re kind of opposites. An acid is a chemical that really likes to give up protons and a base is a chemical that really likes to steal protons away from something else. Acids can attack other molecules by “forcing” their protons on them, whereas bases attack by stealing protons. Both can be destructive enough to the chemical structure to corrode the material. Some materials are more susceptible to acid attack than bases, and vice versa.