PH, Acid, and Base Observation

Today for science, I studied acids, bases, and pH. Here are some basic facts about about how it works:

PH

PH, or potential for hydrogen, is the determination of how many hydrogen ions a specific substance has. It measures wether this substance is a base or a acid. The neutral pH value is 7, which is pure water. Anything above 7 is a base, and anything below 7 is and acid. Here is a picture of the pH chart:


There is also mathematics involved in the chart. Mathematicians call it logarithmic. Each scale is a factor of 10, so pH 2, for example, is 10 times more acidic than pH3, and 100 times more acidic than pH4.

Acids

How to know if its an acid:

- Tastes sour

- Conducts electricity

- Ruins metal

- Donates hydrogen ions

Strong and weak acids are differed by how much hydrogen ions are released. Strong acids release many H ions, while weak ones only release a few.

One of the strongest acids known is found right in your stomach! It aids in breaking down food and killing germs. Although it could easily burn a hole right through us, our bodies are designed in a special way so that it protects us from this acid.

Bases

The exact opposite of an acid is a base. Bases taste more chalky and bitter than sour. It also becomes very slippery when wet, like a bar of soap for example. Strong bases can burn your skin just like strong acids can.

Bases can be used to repel dangerous acids, and acids can be used to repel dangerous bases. For example, the acidic venom from a bee sting can be neutralized by applying baking soda. Or the toxic base from a jellyfish sting can be neutralized by applying an acid, like vinegar.  

 

I hope you found this somewhat useful, entertaining even. This is one of my more boring posts, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Thanks for checking out my blog!