An alkali is a type of chemical base that dissolves in water and usually feels slippery and tastes bitter, like many cleaning products. It can neutralize acids to form salts and water.
From Arabic *al-qalī* or *al-qily* “the ashes of saltwort,” plants burned to make soda ash for soap and glass. The term was adopted in medieval chemistry for similar basic substances.
Alkali goes back to plant ashes used for making early soap—ancient chemistry in a fire pit. Today’s strong cleaning products are high-tech descendants of those ashes, still doing the same job of cutting through grease and neutralizing acids.
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