Why pH neutral is 7 and not 0?

Answer 1

Because a netrual substance is 7 to 14 and a acid substance is from 0 to6.

Because a netrual substance is 7 to 14 and a acid substance is from 0 to6.

ok don't listen to the guy that replied above me,

Acids on the pH scale are from 1-6 NEUTRAL is 7 NOT 7-14!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bases are 8-14. the guy above is a complete idiot that doesn't know what he is talknig about. And the reason is because the pH scale doesn't go to 0 and 1 is acid 8 is base 7 is the middle, if you add a base and a solid together it is neutral.

Here is the third try at a correct answer:

pH is the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. In pure water, the hydrogen ion concentration in molarity is 10-7 . The OH- concentration in molarity is also 10-7. Therefore, when the pH is neutral, or 7, it means that there is equal amounts of hydrogen ion and OH-. When there is greater than 10-7 molar hydrogen ion concentration, then the pH will be less than 7 and is called acidic. For example, if the hydrogen ion concentration is 10-6, which is ten times what it would be if it were 10-7, then the pH is 6 and the solution is acidic. pH can go below 1 or above 14, but it is not real common.

Answer 2

The pH is the negative log of the hydrogen (or hydronium) ion concentration. Since the ionization constant for water at approximately room temperature is 10-14, the hydrogen ion concentration in a neutral solution is the square root of the ionization constant, or 10-7, and the negative log of that is 7.

Answer 3

Because it's the middle of the scale, when the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) equals the concentration of hydroxyl ions (OH-). Both will have a concentration of 10-7, and if the hydrogen ion concentration is 10-7, then the pH (as the -log[H+]) will be 7. The excess of hydrogen ions or excess of hydroxyl ions makes a solution acidic or basic respectively. If there are no more hydrogen ions than hydroxyl ions, then the solution is neither acidic nor basic - neutral.

Answer 4

Because 7 is in the middle of a scale from where acids are defined as chemicals with numbers under 7 and bases are defined as chemicals with numbers over 7. The numbers are as arbitrary as 32 degrees for freezing water and 212 degrees for the boiling point of water....all as malleable as Kelvin and Centigrade.

Actually, the ph scale makes more sense than some scales since it's based on

the concentration of excess hydrogen and hydoxyl ions.

Answer 5

because 7 is green and the neutrual colour is green.

Answer 6

pH scale goes up to 14, so halfway would be 7

Answer 7

Because it's neither an acid or a base.