pH is the abbreviation of the Latin phrase “pondus hydro genii”.

Pondus = Pressure and Hydro genii = Hydrogen. Thus pH is the measurement of hydrogen ion concentration in a liquid solution. This activity is directly connected to its acidic, neutral or alkaline characteristics.

If a solution has a pH of less than 7 (a large number of Hydrogen ions) it is considered acidic. Those solutions with a pH of 7 are considered neutral as is the pH of pure water at 25°C. Anything with a pH of above 7 (a small number of hydrogen ions) is considered alkaline. The pH scales reads from 1 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline) Sometimes it is possible to come across solutions that may have a pH of below 0 or above 14 however this is very rare and any solutions that are, are concentrated and highly reactive.

Examples of the pH values of Everyday Substances

pH can be measured simply by colour changes of some chemical powder e.g. litmus paper but if you are looking at continuous monitoring and control of pH more sophisticated equipment may be needed.

The most popular method is to use an electrode designed to allow hydrogen ions in a solution to pass through a selective barrier which produces a measurable potential difference proportional to the solutions pH.