M1 Lesson 1 - pH of Common

Solutions

Learn the pH of Common Solutions

pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a chemical is when it's in an aqueous (water)
solution. A neutral pH value (neither an acid nor a base) is 7. Substances with a pH
greater than 7 up to 14 are considered bases. Chemicals with a pH lower than 7 down to
0 are considered acids. The closer the pH is to 0 or 14, the greater its acidity or basicity,
respectively. Here's a list of the approximate pH of some common chemicals.

 pH is a measure of how acidic or basic an aqueous solution is. pH usually

ranges from 0 (acidic) to 14 (basic). A pH value around 7 is considered neutral.
 pH is measured using pH paper or a pH meter.
 Most fruits, vegetables, and body fluids are acidic. While pure water is neutral,
natural water may be either acidic or basic. Cleaners tend to be basic.
 Not All Liquids Have a pH Value, pH only has meaning in an aqueous solution
(in water). Many chemicals, including liquids, do not have pH values. If there's
 no water, there's no pH. For example, there is no pH value for vegetable oil,
gasoline, or pure alcohol.

pH of Common Acids
Fruits and vegetables tend to be acidic. Citrus fruit, in particular, is acidic to the point
where it can erode tooth enamel. Milk is often considered to be neutral since it's only
slightly acidic. Milk becomes more acidic over time. The pH of urine and saliva is slightly
acidic, around a pH of 6. Human skin, hair, and nails tend to have a pH of around 5.
pH Common Acids
0  Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)
1.0   Battery Acid (H2SO4 sulfuric acid) and stomach acid
2.0    Lemon Juice
2.2     Vinegar
3.0    Apples, Soda
3.0 to 3.5  Sauerkraut
3.5 to 3.9 Pickles
4.0 Wine and Beer
4.5 Tomatoes
4.5 to 5.2 Bananas
around 5.0     Acid Rain
5.0 Black Coffee
Neutral pH Chemicals
Distilled water tends to be slightly acidic because of dissolved carbon dioxide and other
gases. Pure water is nearly neutral, but rainwater tends to be slightly acidic. Natural
water rich in minerals tends to be alkaline or basic.
7.0     -     Pure Water
pH of Common Bases 
Many common cleaners are basic. Usually, these chemicals have a very high pH. Blood is
close to neutral but is slightly basic.
pH Common Bases
7.0 to 10  Shampoo
7.4  Human Blood
7.4  Human Tears
7.8      Egg
around 8  Seawater
8.3  Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
around 9   Toothpaste
10.5    Milk of Magnesia
11.0     Ammonia
11.5 to 14  Hair Straightening Chemicals
12.4   Lime (Calcium Hydroxide)
13.0 Lye
14.0      Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)
Other pH Values
Soil pH ranges from 3 to 10. Most plants prefer a pH between 5.5 and 7.5. Stomach acid
contains hydrochloric acid and other substances and has a pH value of 1.2. While pure
water free of undissolved gases is neutral, not much else is. However, buffer solutions
may be prepared to maintain a pH near 7. Dissolving table salt (sodium chloride) in water
does not change its pH.
How to Measure pH
There are multiple ways to test the pH of substances.
The simplest method is to use pH paper test strips. You can make these yourself using
coffee filters and cabbage juice, use Litmus paper, or other test strips. The color of the
test strips corresponds to a pH range. Because the color change depends on the type of
indicator dye used to coat the paper, the result needs to be compared against a chart of
standard.
Another method is to draw a small sample of a substance and apply drops of pH
indicator and observe the test change. Many home chemicals are natural pH indicators.
pH test kits are available to test liquids. Usually, these are designed for a particular
application, like aquaria or swimming pools. pH test kits are fairly accurate but may be
affected by other chemicals in a sample.
The most accurate method of measuring pH is using a pH meter. pH meters are more
expensive than test papers or kits and require calibration, so they are generally used in
schools and labs.
pH Equation
The equation for calculating pH was proposed in 1909 by Danish biochemist Søren Peter
Lauritz Sørensen:
pH = -log[H+]
where the log is the base-10 logarithm and [H+] stands for the hydrogen ion
concentration in units of moles per liter solution. The term "pH" comes from the German
word "potenz," which means "power," combined with H, the element symbol for
hydrogen, so pH is an abbreviation for "power of hydrogen."