• Question: what is the strongest PH you have discovered

    Asked by nrtyx to Alex, Amy, Andy, Georgia, Ollie on 20 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Ollie Russell

      Ollie Russell answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      The strongest acid I use is Nitric Acid. In my lab we use rally strong concentrations…. so strong that it would burn thorugh your hand if you got it on you. However the pH of this is still only 1.

    • Photo: Alex Munro

      Alex Munro answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Hello nrtyx; I haven’t made any discoveries in this area, but as far as I know the pH scale is 0 – 14, with acids less than 7 and alkaline greater than 7.

      7 represents a neutral pH (e.g. water)

    • Photo: Andy MacLeod

      Andy MacLeod answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Hi nrtyx. I don’t work with chemicals either, but I do recall that the pH scale is logarithmic. That means that each change of 1 on the pH scale away from 7 means an actual increase of 10 times the strength of acid (down to 0) or alkali (up to 14).

      So the strongest acids would have a pH of less than 1. A strong acid will break down water releasing hydrogen ions (H+) into solution. Ollie’s mentioned something about the acids he uses in the lab, and that looks like it’s about the same pH as the acid in your stomach that helps digest your food.

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