The model visualizes the concentrations of H3O+ and OH- at different pH levels. It helps to address four common misconceptions on the pH of solution. It also provides the pH values of a collection of common items.
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THINGS TO TRY
THINGS TO TRY
Observe the feature of H3O+ ions.
Change the pH to observe 1) the numbers of H3O+ and OH- ions at different pH levels, 2) the relationships between pH/pOH and the concentrations of H3O+ and OH- ions, 3) the relationships between pH/pOH.
Compare concentrations of H3O+ and OH- of different items
Use the ion concentration plot to show the large concentration differences. For example, certain concentrations of H3O+ and OH- ions are so low that they cannot be displayed in the plot.
THINGS TO NOTICE
THINGS TO NOTICE
This model may be used to address the following misconceptions of acid, base, and pH:
Free hydroniums exist as single protons.
pH is a measurement of the degree of acidity of a solution, not alkalinity.
Failed to realize the existence of OH− in an acidic solution.
The higher the pH, the higher the acidity.
The model uses the ion concentration plot to show the large differences between the actual concentrations of H3O+ and OH- ion at different pH scales. Therefore, students should find certain concentrations of H3O+ and OH- ions are so low that they cannot be displayed in the plot.
RELATED MODELS
RELATED MODELS
Related models: Titration of acid with a strong base Titration of base with a strong acid Buffer Titration
CREDITS AND REFERENCES
CREDITS AND REFERENCES
Dr. Lin Xiang created this module at the University of Kentucky in 2022. If you mention this model in a publication, we ask that you include the citations below.
Xiang, L. (2022). The pH of Solution. Department of STEM Education, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.
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