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 * The pH Factor**



[Note: Each step in the pH scale represents a 10-fold change in value. For example, milk (6.0) is ten times more acidic than pure water (7.0). A substance with a pH value of 5.0 is 100 times more acidic than pure water, and so on...... The same is true as you move **up** the pH scale: Baking soda (8.0) is 10 times more alkaline than pure water (7.0) and a substance with a pH of 9.0 is 100 times more alkaline than pure water.]

pH is an important chemical property because it is a measure of how acidic or how alkaline (basic) a substance is. As you can see from the above diagram, 7 is right in the middle of the scale and is the number that is considered to be neutral. Pure water (water that contains nothing but oxygen and hydrogen atoms) has a pH of 7. The lower the pH number, the higher the acidity. The higher the pH number, the higher the alkalinity. Which is more acidic, ammonia or vinegar? If you said vinegar, you are correct! But there is much, much more to learn about pH.