MODULE 13 - pH: A MEASURE OF ACIDITY

Most Essential Learning Competency

1. Calculate pH from the concentration of hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions in aqueous solutions.
(STEM_GC11AB-IVf-g-156)

Discussion of the Lesson

Personnel working in food processing, medicine, agriculture, spa and pool maintenance,
soap manufacturing, and wine making measure the [H3O+] and [OH-] of solutions. The proper level
of acidity is necessary to evaluate the functioning of the lungs and kidneys, to control bacterial
growth in foods, and to prevent the growth of pests in food crops.

In aqueous solution, an acid is defined as any species that increases the concentration of
H+ ions, while a base increases the concentration of OH- ions. Typical concentrations of these ions
in solution can be very small, and they also span a wide range. Let’s take a look on the
concentration of H+ ions of pure water at 25°C and to the acid present in our stomach. We have
learned from our previous lesson that pure water has a value of 1.0 x 10-7 M of H+ and the acid in
our stomach has 1.0 x10-1 M. This means that the [H+] of acid in our stomach is 6 orders of
magnitude larger than in pure water.

We have also learned how to quantify the concentration of H+ ions from the given
concentration of OH- ions or vice-versa using the ion-product constant of water, Kw. Now we are
going to learn the relationship between these concentrations and the so-called, pH.

The pH Concept
Because the concentrations of H+ and OH- ions in aqueous solutions are frequently very
small numbers and therefore inconvenient to work with, Soren Sorensen† in 1909 proposed a
more practical measure called pH. The pH scale is a scale of small numbers that is used to specify
molar hydronium ion concentration in an aqueous solution.

Figure 1: pH of some common

substances. On the pH scale, values below 7.0
are acidic, a value of 7.0 is neutral, and values
above 7.0 are basic.

Figure 2: The pH of a solution can be

determined using (a) pH meter, (b) pH paper,
(c) indicators that changes in color in response
to pH values.

84
Relating pH and [H3O+]

We can calculate the pH of a solution knowing the concentrations of H + or OH- ions in that
solution. The calculation of pH scale values involves the use of logarithms. The pH is the negative
logarithm of an aqueous solution’s molar hydronium ion concentration. Expressed
mathematically, the definition of pH is

The negative logarithm gives us a positive number for pH, which otherwise would be
negative due to the small value of [H+]. Like the equilibrium constant, the pH of a solution is a
dimensionless quantity.

Because pH is simply a way to express hydrogen ion concentration, acidic and basic
solutions at 25°C can be distinguished by their pH values, as follows:
Notice that pH increases as
[H+]decreases. ------------------------------>

Sometimes we may be given the pH value of a solution and asked to calculate the H + ion
concentration. In that case, we need to take the antilog of equation (1) as follows:

Integral pH Values
For any hydronium ion concentration expressed in exponential notation in which the
coefficient is 1.0, the pH is given directly by the negative of the exponent value of the power of 10:

Thus, if the hydronium ion concentration is 1.0 x 10-9, then the pH will be 9.00. This simple
relationship between pH and hydronium ion concentration is valid only when the coefficient in the
exponential notation expression for the hydronium ion concentration is 1.0.

Sample Problem 1. Calculating pH from [H3O+] and [OH-]

Calculate the pH for each of the following solutions:
a. [H3O+] = 1.0 x 10-6 M
b. [OH-] = 1.0 x10-6 M

Solution:
a. Because the coefficient in the exponential expression for the molar hydronium ion
concentration is 1.0, the pH can be obtained from the relationships (equations 3 and 4)

b. The given value is the concentration of OH- ions. Before we could compute for the pH, we have
to find first the concentration of H3O+ ions using the ion product of water,

85
Non-integral pH Values

If the coefficient in the exponential expression for the molar hydronium ion concentration
is not 1.0, then the pH will have a non-integral value; that is, it will not be a whole number. For
example, consider the following non-integral pH values.

NOTE: The easiest way to obtain non-integral pH values such as these involves using an
electronic calculator that allows for the input of exponential numbers and that has a base-10
logarithm key (LOG). In using such an electronic calculator, you can obtain logarithm values
simply by pressing the LOG key after having entered the number whose log is desired. For pH, you
must remember that after obtaining the log value, you must change signs because of the negative
sign in the defining equation for pH.

Sample Problem 2. Calculating pH from [H3O+]

Aspirin, which is acetylsalicylic acid, was the first non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
used to alleviate pain and fever. If a solution of aspirin has a [H 3O+] = 1.7 x 10-3 M, what is the
pH of the solution?

Solution: What is known is the [H3O+] = 1.7 x 10-3 M and we are asked to compute for the pH of
the solution of aspirin. We know that to get the value of pH, we use equation (1),

Sample Problem 3. Calculating [H3O+] from pH

Determine the [H3O+] for solutions having a pH=8.25.

Solution: We are given the value of pH=8.25 and we are asked to compute for the concentration
of H3O+. For this, we are going to use equation (2)

86
Relating pOH and [OH-]
A pOH scale analogous to the pH scale can be devised using the negative logarithm of the
hydroxide ion concentration of a solution. Thus, we define pOH as

If we are given the pOH value of a solution and asked to calculate the OH- ion concentration,
we can take the antilog of equation (5)

Relating pH and pOH

Now consider again the ion-product constant for water at 25°C:

Taking the negative logarithm of both sides and from the definitions of pH and pOH, we
obtain

This provides us with another way to express the relationship between the H+ ion
concentration and the OH- ion concentration.

Sample Problem 4. Calculating [OH-] from pOH

In a NaOH solution [OH-] is 2.9 x 10-4 M. Calculate the pH of the solution.

Solution: Solving this problem takes two steps. First, we need to calculate pOH using equation
(5). Next, we use equation (7) to calculate the pH of the solution.
First, we use equation (5),

Then we use equation (7),

The answer shows that the solution is basic.

NOTE: We can also use the ion-product constant of water, Kw= [H+][OH-] to calculate [H+], and
then we can calculate the pH from the [H+].
Activity 1: BRAINS OUT!
Directions: Read and analyze each problem carefully. Identify the known variables and
solve for the unknown following the steps in solving a problem.
1. The OH- ion concentration of a blood sample is 2.5 x 10-7 M. What is the pH of the blood?
2. The pH of an unknown solution is 5.68. What is the [OH -] and pOH of the solution?
3. Upon investigating the pH of different ponds, you found out that a certain pond measures 4.2
which is below the recommended pH of 6.5. What are the [H3O+] and [OH-] of the pond?

Activity 2: SHOW ME WHAT YOU’VE GOT!

Directions: Investigate and analyze the given situation. Provide an explanation for your
answer.
Hair stylists recommend slightly acidic and near neutral shampoo for smoother hair.
You find 5 brands that you like. The first has a pH of 3.6, the second is 13, the third is 8.2,
the fourth is 6.8 and the fifth is 9.7. Which one should you buy? Explain why it is better.

87