pH Value (Part 1)
Hydrolysis <> Polycondensation in pH Values
Aight, time to explain another concept.
We’ll explain why some water tastes like water…
And why some water tastes like okie coke for your body.
What’s pH? 🔑
pH is a scale that determines how acidic or basic something is by the number of hydrogen ions in a substance/solution.
pH is the scale where we can measure the power/strength of acids and bases.
You could remember pH* as “Power (p) of Hydrogen (H) → pH.”
* The following is to generalize the concept, it’s not a 100% accurate description of pH.
For the articles’ purposes today:
Solutions/substances that are acidic tend to have a LOT of hydrogen ions (H+).
Sometimes it can also be mentioned as H3O+
While solutions/substances that are alkaline tend to have a LOT of hydroxyl ions. (OH-)
Acids want their hydroxyl ions to neutralize themselves…
Alkalines want their hydrogen ions to neutralize themselves too…
And the special number is 7.
pH of Water 💧
You’ve seen on bottles of water that say:
It’s altered for specific reasons.
So, what is the real calculation? How do we find it, CJ?
You can use this logarithm to explain/calculate the pH in a solution:
pH = -log10¹[H+]
For example, the number of hydrogen ions in water is 1 x 10^-7 molar (moles/liter).
“1 x 10^-7” will replace the symbol “H+” in the logarithmic equation.
The equation now looks like this:
pH = -log10¹[1 x 10^-7] → pH = -log10¹[10^-7]
Btw, a mole is just Avogrado’s number → 6.22 x 10^23 atoms
To calculate this:
All we do is ask about the 10 attached to the “log”, and ask:
“What power should I raise [10¹/10] to get to [10^-7]?
The answer is -7.
The reason why it is 7 is that the “10” outside of the brackets is the same as writing 10¹.
Since the bases (10) are the same inside and outside of the brackets…
We could just look at the exponents (1*? = -7)
The answer to the question mark is (-7).
That means our equation is left like this:
pH = -[-7] or pH =(-1)(-7)
The answer is 7. That means the pH of water is 7.
That’s where water wants to be… but sometimes, it’s changed for reasons.
Those reasons deserve their own story…
Shoutout Corner 📢
A good tech innovator can build the technology or sell the technology.
A great one can do both with competence.
But a G at it is Rhythm, a blockchain sensation.
My brotha here is building:
Tech Nuttiez - Online platform teaching & building robotics + programming
Crowdfunding DApp - Allows users to create their campaigns to raise money.
Tweet DApp - Take tweets & add to the blockchain to view wallet address of the user.
Amazon Alexa - He collabed with them to integrate Alexa’s products for Gen Z users.
Hit Rhythm up on LinkedIn & subscribe to his newsletter for his project updates!
He gonna be shipping some big stuff in the upcoming weeks…
We’ll catch you in the next post about how to manipulate the pH of water,
WITHOUT killing yourself in the process.
With energy,
Carlos ⚛️
Know a friend/colleague that is materials science simp (or bite-sized content)?