What exactly is pH?

Answer 1

The term pH means potential of hydrogen. pH is used to measure the acidity or basicity of a solution. solutions with a pH less than 7 are acidic, and solutions with pH greater than 7 are basic. Acidic solutions contain more hydrogen ions and basic contain more hydroxide ions. If the pH is 1to 3 then it becomes strong acids. If it 4to5 it is moderately acids. If the pH is 6to 7 it is called weak acids. Same as 7to 9 pH values are called weakly basic. If the pH 10to 11 is called weakly moderate and if the pH is 12 to 14 then it is called Strongly bases.

Answer 2

p is shorthand for -log10. H in this connection is shorthand for [H+aq] which is hydrogen ion concentration.

The scale is 0 to 14 with plain water at 20C being pH 7. Lemon juice is around 2.2 (acid) and things like Milk of Magnesia for heartburn (casued by stomach acid 1.0) are around 10.5 (base). This might be really hard to understand if you do not understand, look up pH for kids.

Answer 3

It's a measurement of how acidic or alkaline something is :)

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The pH is defined as the decimal logarithm with changed sign of the ion H+ activity in a solution.

Acidity is a pH under 7.0 and basicity is a pH over 7.0. The pH scale is between 0 and 14 but values out of this scale are possible.

Answer 4

pH is defined as

pH = pH = -log10[H+]

It is explicitly a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution which also indicates how acid or basic the solution is. In any aqueous solution, the product of the concentrations of hydrogen and hydroxide ions is 10-14, i.e. [H+][OH-] = 10-14, when the values are given in moles per liter.

In a neutral solution the concentration of [H+] and [OH-] ions is balanced at 10-14, moles per liter of each (and the product [H+][OH-] = 10-14,). If you plug that back into the definition of pH you will see it gives a value of pH = 7 so neutral solutions have a pH of 7. Solutions with more hydrogen ions will be acidic and have a lower pH; solutions with more hydroxide ions will be basic and have a higher pH (because to maintain the product of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions at 10-14, the concentration of hydrogen ions has to go down).

Answer 5

pH is the measure of the acidity or the alkalinity of a substance -- more specifically referring to how many hydrogen ions are present in that substance.

Answer 6

The pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution (concentration of ions H+ and OH-).

Answer 7

The pH is a measure of the activity of the ion H+ in a solution; pH scale is between 0 and 14 and is a logarithmic scale. A pH of is neutral; under 7 is acidic, over 7 is basic.

Answer 8

The pH is a measure of the activity of the ion H+; pH is an indication for acidity or basicity.

Answer 9

The pH is a measure of the hydrogen ions activity in solutions.