Alkali
Alkalies in their pure state possess the following general properties; to the taste they are caustic and acrid; they dissolve animal matter, and form a saponaceous compound with oils or fat; they combine with acids in definite proportions, but the respective properties of each are destroyed, and a neutral salt is the result. It is on this account that most metals are precipitated from their acid solutions by the introduction of an alkali. The most important alkalies are potash, ammonia, and soda--ammonia being soluble, while potash and soda are termed fixed alkalies. See PRECIPITATION.