Reactions of Bases: Neutralization Reactions, Reactions with Aluminum

• The most important base reactions are those in which a base neutralizes an acid.
• One other kind of base reaction that we cover here is the reaction of sodium hydroxide with aluminum and water.
• Aluminum is one of the few metals that dissolves in a base.
• If your household plumbing pipes were made of aluminum, it would not be safe to use NaOH (the main ingredient in many drain-opening products) to unclog your drain.
• Fortunately, the use of aluminum pipe is forbidden in most building codes.