9.2: Lifestyle Chemistry

pH

pH is the measure of acidity or alkalinity of a solution and ranges from 0-14.  In chemistry terms it is the measure of hydrogen ions (H+) in a solution.  The lower the pH the more acid a solution is and the higher the pH the more alkaline the solution is.  Neutral is considered to be 7 which is the pH of pure water.

pH can dramatically affect both living organisms and non-living objects.  Cola can remove the rust (corrosion) from a copper coin leaving it appear as though it was new and the pH of soil can actually alter the colours of some flowers like hydrangeas that have blue flowers if the soil is acidic soils and pink flowers in alkaline soils.  Many of the gaseous emissions from factories and liquids that get tipped down the sink and enactor our waterways can have a major affect on the pH of our rivers, streams and lakes.  This change in pH can be very harmful to aquatic life and can pollute our drinking water sources to the point where they are no longer useable. 

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Outcome: 9.2.3: Students learn to discuss the term pH in terms of its ability to describe the acidity of a substance