Acidifiers are

inorganic chemicals An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds⁠that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''. Inorgan ...

that, put into a human (or other

mammalian A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

) body, either produce or become

acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

. These chemicals increase the level of

gastric acid Gastric acid or stomach acid is the acidic component – hydrochloric acid – of gastric juice, produced by parietal cells in the gastric glands of the stomach lining. In humans, the pH is between one and three, much lower than most other a ...

in the

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of Human, humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical t ...

when ingested, thus decreasing the stomach pH. Out of many types of acidifiers, the main four are: * Gastric acidifiers, these are the drugs which are used to restore temporarily the acidity of stomach in patient suffering from hypochlorhydria * Urinary acidifiers, used to control pH in urine * Systemic acidifiers, used to control pH in the overall body *

Acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

s, mostly used in laboratory experiments Acidifier performance in distal stomach is debatable. Patients who suffer from achlorhydria have deficient secretion of

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid or spirits of salt, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl). It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungency, pungent smell. It is classified as a acid strength, strong acid. It is ...

in their stomach. In such cases, acidifiers may provide sufficient acidity for proper digestion of food. Systemic acidifiers, usually given by injection, act by reducing the alkali reserve in the body, and are also useful in reducing metabolic alkalosis.Text Book of Pharmaceutical Inorganic Chemistry by VN RAJASEKARAN

References

Acids Inorganic compounds {{genito-urinary-drug-stub