Analysing pH Data
Strong and weak acids
- The relative strengths of different acids can be determined by measuring the pH of equimolar aqueous solutions of the acids, at the same temperature
- The higher the value of the pH, the weaker the acid
pH of 0.100 mol dm-3 Aqueous Solutions of Various Acids at 298K
Strong and weak bases
pH of 0.100 mol dm-3 Aqueous Solutions of Various Bases at 298K
- The higher the value of the pH, the stronger the base
Salts
pH of 0.100 mol dm-3 Aqueous Solutions of Various Salts at 298K
- NaCl and KNO3 both have pH's of 7.00 as they are made from a strong acid and a strong base
- CH3COONa is alkaline as it is made of a weak acid (CH3COOH) and a strong base (NaOH)
- NH4Cl is acidic as it is made of a strong acid (HCl) and a weak base (NH3)
- CH3COONH4 is neutral as it is made from a weak acid (CH3COOH) and a weak base (NH3) which both have similar relative strengths
Effect of dilution on the pH of aqueous solutions of acids
Strong acids
- As concentration decreases by a factor of 10 the pH decreases by one unit
pH of Aqueous Solutions of Hydrochloric Acid at Different Concentrations at 298K
- Following this logic we would expect a concentration of 1.00 x 10-8 mol dm-3 to have a pH of 8
- This makes no sense as it would mean our acidic solution is alkaline
- However when we have solutions that are this dilute we can no longer ignore the contribution of hydrogen ions from the dissociation of water
- The hydrochloric acid with a concentration of 1.00 x 10-8 mol dm-3 would have a pH close to 7 as the contribution of hydrogen ions from the water is greater than that from the acid
Weak acids
- As concentration increases by a factor of 10 the pH increases by a factor of around 0.5
pH of Aqueous Solutions of Ethanoic Acid at Different Concentrations at 298K