pH/pOH

Calculations
SCH3UE - Twomey
pH Scale
● Measurement that
reflects the
concentration of H+
(or H3O+) ions in a
solution

● Essentially, a
measure of how
acidic or how basic
(alkaline) a
substance is
pH Scale
● pH = 7 is NEUTRAL (H3O+ = OH-)

● pH >7 is BASIC (H3O+ < OH-)

● pH <7 is ACIDIC (H3O+ > OH-)

● Each “step” on the pH scale reflects a 10x

difference in the concentration of H3O+

● Example:
Lemon juice (pH = 2) is 10x more acidic
than vinegar (pH = 3)
pH Indicators
● Chemicals that change colour in
acidic or basic solutions

● Most indicators are actually weak

acids themselves
HCl NaOH
● They will reach an equilibrium with solution solution
their conjugate base when dissolved
in water → different colour than acid!
pH Indicators
● Phenolphthalein indicator:
○ Common pH indicator used
in acid-base experiments

○ It actually is itself a weak

acid, and loses H+ ions as
base gets added to solution

○ Triggers a colour change!

○ PINK = Basic
○ CLEAR = Acidic
How to Choose an Indicator?
● All indicators have a pH range in
which their colour change occurs

● During an acid-base titration, pH

changes dramatically at the
equivalence point
○ Moles of acid = moles of base

● Choose an indicator that changes

colour at a pH close to the expected
pH at the equivalence point

● OR:
Choose an indicator with a pKa =
expected pH (IB2!)
From the IB Data Booklet:
Calculating pH & pOH
● The pH scale is logarithmic - we can calculate the pH of any solution if you know the
concentration of H3O+ or OH-

pH = -log[H3O+]
pOH = -log[OH-]
● Another way of looking at it:

pH = 14 – (-log[OH-])
pH = 14 - pOH
● Sigfig rules are different for logarithms.
● The number of sigfigs in the number will determine the number of decimal
places in the pH values, and vice versa (ie. the number to the left of the
decimal place in a pH value are not significant).
One Last Tip…
● RECALL: Water autoionizes to a small degree:

● How MUCH it autoionizes is governed by the equilibrium expression (IB2!):

Kw = [H3O+][OH-] where Kw = 1.0 x 10-14

What is the pH of a 0.25 mol dm-3 solution of HCl?

What is the pH of a 0.0075 mol dm-3 solution of NaOH?

What is the pH and pOH of a 0.025 mol dm-3 solution of Ca(OH)2?

Let’s Reverse It!
You can calculate [H3O+] or [OH-] in a solution if you know its pH/pOH:

[H3O+] = 10-pH [OH-] = 10-pOH

What is the [H3O+] and [OH-] in a HNO3 solution of pH 0.5?
Practice
What is [OH-] and [Ba(OH)2] in a barium hydroxide solution of pH 13.5?
More Practice
What mass of barium hydroxide is needed to make solution with a
pH of 9.3?