Why does a pH of 0 indicate a strongly acidic solution?
Why does a pH of 14 indicate a strongly basic solution?
2007-04-12 14:42:34 · 3 answers · asked by wongtongsoup22 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
From the definition of pH, a pH of 0 indicates 1 g-ion of H+ per liter of water. This is about as concentrated a ionic solution as you can get without violating the assumptions behind pH measurement. By the way, the assumption indicates that at pH 14, the OH- is 1 g-ion per liter. The same arguement holds true here.
2007-04-12 15:03:10 · answer #1 · answered by cattbarf 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the concentration of the hydrogen ion. pH is used only for weakly ionizing acids/bases only, so when you calculate for the pH of HCl, it's 0 because HCl is a strong acid.
pH 14 means that it has more hydroxide ions than hydrogen ions, making the solution basic.
2007-04-13 03:43:11 · answer #2 · answered by unean_amigo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pH = -Log[H+]
If pH = 0, then [H+] = 1; if pH = 14, then [H+] = 10^14
Kw = 1 x 10^-14 = [H+][OH-]
If pH = 1, [OH-] = 1 x 10^-14, vanishingly small. Solution is strongly acidic
If pH = 14, [H+] = 10^-28, vanishingly small. Strongly alkaline.
2007-04-12 22:04:57 · answer #3 · answered by steve_geo1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋