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 order the substances correctly from lowest to highest pH on the scale of 0 to 14:

• Strong acids have a pH close to 0.
• Weak acids have a pH greater than strong acids but less than pure water.
• Pure water is neutral and typically has a pH of around 7.
• Weak bases have a pH greater than pure water and less than strong bases.
• Strong bases have a pH close to 14.

Based on this understanding, the correct order from lowest to highest pH is:

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