When an acid reacts with a base, it nullifies the effect of the base. Such a reaction between an acid and a base to give a salt and water is known as a neutralisation reaction.
The reaction can be represented as given below.
Acid + Base → Salt + Water
For example, when sodium hydroxide is treated with hydrochloric acid, the following reaction takes place,
NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) → H2O(aq) + NaCl(aq)
This kind of reaction is called a 'neutralisation reaction'.