When adding acid to another chemical, the statement 'you should always add the substance to the acid' is:

When adding acid to another chemical, the statement 'you should always add the substance to the acid' is:

• A. True
• B. It depends
• C. Not sure
• D. False

Answer: (D)

When mixing acids, controlling heat and splash is essential. Concentrated acids release a lot of heat when diluted or combined with other chemicals, so the safer approach is to add the acid to water gradually, not the other way around. This distributes the heat more safely and minimizes the risk of the mixture boiling or splashing. Saying you should always add the substance to the acid implies a universal rule that isn’t safe in general, especially if the “substance” is water. That’s why the statement is false. In practice, dilute by pouring acid into water slowly with stirring, never water into concentrated acid.

When mixing acids, controlling heat and splash is essential. Concentrated acids release a lot of heat when diluted or combined with other chemicals, so the safer approach is to add the acid to water gradually, not the other way around. This distributes the heat more safely and minimizes the risk of the mixture boiling or splashing. Saying you should always add the substance to the acid implies a universal rule that isn’t safe in general, especially if the “substance” is water. That’s why the statement is false. In practice, dilute by pouring acid into water slowly with stirring, never water into concentrated acid.