The pH scale measures how acidic or basic a substance is, and ranges from 0 – 14. Which choice is correctly ordered from lowest to highest pH?

Question

A.
pure water, weak base, weak acid, strong base, strong acid
B.
strong base, weak base, pure water, weak acid, strong acid
C.
weak acid, strong acid, pure water, weak base, strong base
D.
strong acid, weak acid, pure water, weak base, strong base

Answer 1

To correctly order substances from lowest to highest pH according to the pH scale, we consider the properties of acids and bases:

• Strong acids (like hydrochloric acid) have a low pH, typically between 0 and 3.
• Weak acids (like acetic acid) have a higher pH than strong acids, generally ranging from about 3 to 6.
• Pure water has a neutral pH of around 7.
• Weak bases (like baking soda) usually have a pH between 8 and 10.
• Strong bases (like sodium hydroxide) have a high pH, typically above 12.

Based on this information, the correct order from lowest to highest pH would be:

D. strong acid, weak acid, pure water, weak base, strong base

Therefore, the answer is D.