Most substances have a pH in the range 0 to 14, although extremely acidic or basic substances may have pH < 0, or pH > 14.

There are a lot of ways for finding the pH of some chemical. One way is by using a red or blue litmus paper. The pH paper is able to tell how strong the chemical is, whether it is a stronger acid or a stronger base.

• The pH scale is divided into 14 units going from 0 to 14. The middle of the scale, 7, corresponds to the neutral point. Values below 7 indicate that the sample is acidic. Values above 7 indicate that the sample is basic.

• The pH scale is logarithmic, which means that a difference of one pH unit corresponds to a change of 10 times the strength. In other words, a sample with a pH of 5 is ten times more acidic than one with a pH of 6. Similarly, a sample with a pH of 4 is one hundred times more acidic than one with a pH of 6.

Some common PH Values:
Battery acid 1.0
Stomach 2.0
Lemon juice 2.4
Cola 2.5
Vinegar 2.9
Orange or apple juice 3.5
Beer 4.5
Coffee 5.0
Tea 5.5
Acid rain < 5.6
Milk 6.5
Pure water 7.0
Blood 7.34 - 7.45
Sea water 8.0
Hand soap 9.0 - 10.0
Household ammonia 11.5
Bleach 12.5

Carroll County Hazardous Materials Response Team

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