Question

1. In one sentence how would you describe the pH scale? Be sure to include exactly what the pH scale measures and the numerical organization of the pH scale.

Answer 1

The pH scale is a logarithmic scale from 1 to 14, which corresponds to the negative logarithm (base 10) of hydrogen ion concentration in a solution (for instance, if concentration of H⁺ in a solution is 1 × 10⁻³, then the solution has a pH of 3).

According to the pH scale, 7 is neutral, <7 is acidic and >7 is basic, because pure degassed water, which is neutral, has 1 × 10⁻⁷, H⁺ ions. However, concentrated acids and super acids can have pH below 0 and even negative pH like −2, and concentrated bases and superbases can have a pH greater than 14.