Some general properties of bases include:
- Taste: Bitter taste (opposed to sour taste of acids and sweetness of aldehydes and ketones)
- Touch: Slimy or soapy feel on fingers
- Reactivity: Caustic on organic matter, react violently with acidic or reducible substances
- Electric conductivity: Aqueous solutions or molten bases dissociate in ions and conduct electricity
- Litmus test: Bases turn red litmus paper blue.