Definition of pH

pH can be viewed as an abbreviation for power of hydrogen or more completely, power of the concentration of hydrogen ion.

The mathematical definition of pH is a bit less intuitive, but with a calculator in hand, more useful. It says that the pH is equal to the negative log of the hydrogen ion concentration, or pH = -log [H⁺]. Using the Brønsted-Lowry approach that would be pH = -log [H₃O⁺]. We'll come back to this definition when we start calculating pH values.

Top of Page

Back to Course Homepage

E-mail instructor: Eden Francis

Clackamas Community College
©1998, 2002 Clackamas Community College, Hal Bender