What Are Acidic Solutions?

An acidic solution is a homogeneous mixture that has a greater amount of hydrogen ion activity than pure water; in contrast, mixtures with a lower amount of hydrogen ions than water are called bases.

Measurement

Acidity is measured on a scale known as pH where pure water is 7 and any number less than 7 is considered an acid; numbers greater than 7 are considered bases.

Types

Many common solutions are acidic such as tomato juice, orange juice, lemon juice and cola. If water is mixed with an acid it will become diluted, raising its pH.

Corrosiveness

Acidic solutions have the property of being corrosive, meaning that they can cause materials to break down over time. Acids with a lower pH tend to be much more corrosive than others.

Digestion

The human body produces powerful acids in the stomach, such as gastric acid and hydrochloric acid, that are used to help break down food.

Considerations

The pH scale is an exponential scale where a decrease of 1 amounts to 10 times greater hydrogen ion concentration. Therefore a solution with pH of 5 has 100 times more hydrogen ions than one with a pH of 7.

References

• Information on Acids
• Information on PH