Question

If the hydrogen ion concentration of an unknown solution is 7.89E-4, what is its pH and will this form an acid or a base?

Answer 1

Answer

The pH of the solution is 3 and this will form an acid.

Explanation

If the hydrogen ion concentration, [H⁺] of an unknown solution is 7.89E-4, then the pH of the solution can be calculated using the pH formula below.

pH = -log[H⁺]

Putting [H⁺] = 7.89E-4, we have;

$\begin{gathered} pH=-log(7.89\times10^{-4}) \\ \\ pH=-(-3.10) \\ \\ To\text{ }the\text{ }nearest\text{ }whole\text{ }number, \\ \\ pH=3 \end{gathered}$

The pH of the solution is 3 and this will form an acid because the pH value falls between the acidic range, (0.1 to 6.99)