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caliban07
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How do I work out how many times more acidic a ph value of 6.8 is compared to 8.6? For example.
Thanks with this link I calculated that the example difference is 6.8 is around 64x more acidic than 8.6. Can anyone confirm if this is correct? Or if I'm talking baloney.jedishrfu said:
The pH scale is used to measure the acidity or basicity of a solution. It ranges from 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most basic. The pH scale is logarithmic, meaning that each number on the scale represents a 10-fold difference in acidity or basicity.
The pH scale is logarithmic because the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution can vary greatly. Logarithms help to compress this range of values into a more manageable scale. To calculate the difference in acidity between two solutions, you would subtract the higher pH value from the lower one and then raise 10 to that power. For example, if one solution has a pH of 3 and the other has a pH of 5, the difference in acidity would be 10^(-2), or 0.01.
The pH scale is based on the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in a solution. A lower pH indicates a higher concentration of H+ ions, while a higher pH indicates a lower concentration. This inverse relationship is logarithmic, meaning that a small change in pH represents a large change in H+ concentration.
The pH scale is used in a variety of everyday situations, such as testing the acidity of soil for gardening, determining the pH of swimming pools and hot tubs, and measuring the acidity of foods and drinks. It is also important in industries such as water treatment and brewing, where maintaining a specific pH level is crucial for optimal results.
Some common substances and their pH levels include lemon juice (pH 2), vinegar (pH 3), black coffee (pH 5), milk (pH 6), pure water (pH 7), baking soda (pH 9), and bleach (pH 12). It is important to note that the pH of a substance can vary depending on its concentration and other factors.