A pH of 5 is how many more times acidic than a pH of 6?

1 Answer
anor277
Sep 5, 2016

The #pH# is logarithmic, and #pH=5# is #10xx# as acidic as #pH=6#.

Explanation:

By definition, #pH=-log_(10)[H_3O^+]#.

Thus when #pH# #=# #5#, #[H_3O^+]=10^-5*mol*L^-1#;
and when #pH# #=# #6#, #[H_3O^+]=10^-6*mol*L^-1#.

Thus there is there is a tenfold difference in acidity (and basicity) given #DeltapH=1#.

Related questions
See all questions in pH calculations
Impact of this question
10503 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License