Please take the online poll. Acids Acids have been know since ancient times. Anything that is sour is acidic. The first intentionally produced acid was vinegar which is produced by the action of bacteria on wine, beer, or mead.
Acids are a waste product of bacterial metabolism.
That is why bacterial grown contributes to tooth decay. When bacteria are grow in an alcoholic beverage in the presence of oxygen they produce acetic acid, which is the acidic component of vinegar. For most of antiquity, vinegar was the only commonly available acid. But as metals came into wider use it became apparent that different metals had different properties. For example, the lead ore we are using in class is mostly lead sulfide, or galena.