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The pH of a solution is a measure of the Hydrogen ion concentration ([H+]), which is a measure of acidity, because one definition of an acid is something which forms Hydrogen ions in solution.

The lower the pH, the more acidic the solution. Solutions with pH values below 7 are considered acidic, while those above 7 are considered basic (7 itself is neutral).

pH is calculated using the following formula, with concentration measured in mol dm-3:

pH = -log10([H+]

The scale is logarithmic, so a substance of pH 2 is 10 times more acidic than one of pH 3.

Although it is technically only a measure of acidity, it is also used to describe the strength of bases by using the fact that water partially dissociates into Hydrogen and Hydroxide ions:

H2O <---> H+ and OH-

Therefore if a base is added to water, increasing the number of OH- ions, they will remove H+ from the solution, increasing the pH value.

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