What is pH?
pH, an acronym for “potential of hydrogen,” is a value that indicates the acidity or alkalinity of a liquid. Every liquid has a pH value, which falls on a scale between 0 and 14, with 7 being neutral. A pH value less than 7 is acidic; values greater than 7 indicate alkalinity. Examples: Battery acid and vinegar – two very acidic liquids – have pH values on the lower end of the scale, while baking soda and ammonia, both of which are very alkaline, are on the higher end of the pH scale. Pure water, meanwhile, has a pH value of 7 – it’s neither acidic nor alkaline.
All water-based solutions can be measured for their pH. The pH scale, which runs numerically from 0 to 14, is used to indicate whether a solution is acid or alkaline. On this scale, a solution that has a pH from 0 to 6.9 is considered to be an acid. A solution that measures from 7.1 up to 14 on the pH scale is considered to be basic (or alkaline) in nature. A pH of 7.0 is neutral. The pH of OdoBan Odor Eliminator is approximately neutral, and its use-solutions are noncorrosive to plastic, vinyl, synthetics, enamel, tile and most common metals.
The pH notation is an index of Hydrogen’s chemical activity in a solution. pH is a Log Scale Unit of Measure, and is used to express the degree of acidity of a substance. Values will range from pH 1 to pH 2 for strong acids, through pH 7 for neutral solutions such as ultra pure water, on up to values of pH 11 and higher for very strong bases like lye. The centimeter is a unit measure of length. The gram is a unit measure of weight. Similarly, pH is the unit measure we use to say how much free or active acid is in a substance. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14. A pH of 0 means a very high acid activity; a pH of 14 means a very low acid activity. In between these two extremes is a pH of 7. This is the pH of pure water. Addition of a strong acid, such as sulfuric acid ( H2SO4 ) to water makes the resulting solution very high in active acid concentration. This is called an acidic solution. The addition of a strong base or alkali material, such as sodium hydroxide ( NaOH ), to water makes the
pH is a measure of the acidity (“sourness”) or alkalinity (“sweetness”) of soil. The scale ranges from 1 to 14, but few soils are more acidic that 5 or more alkaline than 9. A pH of 7 is perfectly neutral, but most plants grow best when the pH is a slightly acidic between 6.5. Soils in areas with low rainfall tend to be alkaline. Where rainfall is high, soils are more often acidic. This happens because rainfall gradually washes calcium from soil. In practical terms, if you live east of the Mississippi River, you’ll need to add calcium to your soil to raise the pH. Soil testing is the best way to learn about your soil, including the pH.
pH is a measure of soil acidity (sourness) or soil alkalinity (sweetness). A number expresses pH on a scale from 0 to 14. A neutral reading is 7. Any reading below 7 represents an acid soil and the lower the number the more acidic the soil. Any number above 7 indicates an alkaline condition and alkalinity increases as the number on the scale increases.
