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

The correct ordering from lowest to highest pH is:

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

• Strong acids have low pH (close to 0).
• Weak acids have a higher pH than strong acids (around 4-6).
• Pure water has a neutral pH of 7.
• Weak bases have a pH above 7 (around 8-10).
• Strong bases have high pH (close to 14).