Importance of Important nutrients are

absorbed by plants at varying levels

of effectiveness based upon the
soil’s acidity level. pH levels also
influence microorganic activity that
contributes to the decomposition of
organic materials. A pH that is either
too high or too low may also
interfere with the effectiveness of
pesticides by changing their basic
composition or weakening their
ability to kill unwanted insects.

What is pH The human body is built to

pH (potential Hydrogen) is the measurement of acidity and its naturally maintain a healthy balance
opposite, alkalinity in a solution. Neutral pH is 7.0 pH. Acidity of acidity and alkalinity. The lungs
measures below seven pH with alkalinity measuring above it 7.0pH. and the kindneys play a key role in
In Chemistry, pH is a scale used to specify how acidic or basic a this process. A normal blood pH
water-based solution is. At room temperature (25°C), pure water is level is 7.40 on a scale of 0 to 14. If
neither acidic nor basic and has a pH of 7 the lungs or the kidneys are
mulfuctioning your blood’s pH level
can become imbalance. Disruption in
The Importance of pH Scale your acid-base balance can lead to
All living things are water-based systems, which means that medical conditions.
they depend heavily on aqueous equilibria, especially acid based and
pH concepts we have discussed so far are extremely important to
biochemistry, which is the study of the chemistry of biological systems.

Low pH can alter the

Reasons why we should be concerned about pH in
balance of sodium and chloride in
biological systems: the blood and aquatic animals.
Hydrogen ions are taken into a cell
 It gives a qualitative measure for many problems in cell biology at the loss of sodium, which can
and related fields cause death from respiratory failure
 Proton dissociable groups are found in macromolecules (such or the loss of regulation in osmotic
as proteins) as well as the small molecules we have discussed pressure. A pH less than 4.5 can be
already devastating to aquatic environments,
 The cell environment is always buffered at approximately pH 7 but levels higher than that may also
 Experiments such as biological enzymatic assays require a cause adverse biological effects.
certain pH