Question

What is the meaning of ‘p’ and ‘H’ in the pH?

Answer 1

Hint: pH is a scale used to represent whether a given solution is acidic or basic in nature. pH scales have range from 0-14 where solutions have pH value lower than 7 are said to be acid and those who have value higher than 7 are termed as basics while having value exactly equal to 7 shows neutral behavior.

Complete answer: The pH scale is generally a logarithmic scale and it inversely indicates the concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution. This is due to the reason that the formula used to calculate pH approximates the negative of the base 10 logarithm of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution. In common way we can say that pH is the negative of the base 10 logarithm of the $H^{+}$ ion and shown by the formula:
$pH=-\log [H^{+}]$
The definition of pH was given by Sorenson in 1909. In pH the term ‘p’ stands for the potential of hydrogen or we can say it as power of hydrogen and term ‘H’ stands for hydrogen and it is in the form of litmus is used to identify the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Rather than litmus paper pH dependent plant pigments can also be used as pH indicators occur in many plants, including hibiscus, red cabbage and grapes. The juice of citrus fruits is acidic mainly because it contains citric acid. Other carboxylic acids occur in many living systems.

Note: Lactic acid is produced by muscle activity. The state of protonation of phosphate derivatives for example ATP is pH-dependent. The functioning of the oxygen-transport enzyme hemoglobin is also affected by pH in a process, that process is known as Root effect.