In both directions on the scale, between the whole number value, there is a difference of ____________ times the concentration of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions. A pH of 5 is 100 times more acidic than a pH of 7.
Chemistry · High School · Thu Feb 04 2021
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In both directions on the pH scale, between each whole number value, there is a tenfold (or 10 times) difference in the concentration of hydrogen ions. This scaling is logarithmic. Therefore, a pH of 5 is indeed 100 times more acidic than a pH of 7 because the pH scale is based on powers of 10. Each unit change in pH value represents a tenfold change in acidity or alkalinity. Since the difference between pH 5 and pH 7 is 2 units on the scale, you would calculate the difference in concentration by taking 10 to the power of the difference in pH units, which is 10^2 or 100 times.