A solution with pH = 4 has
1. relatively high concentration of OH-
2. relatively low concentration of H3O+
3. relatively high concentration of H3O+
4. zero concentration of OH-
Some of the answers people are giving me are confusing. I just need to know if it 1,2,3 or 4?
pH 4 is a weak acid, so there will be a relatively high concentration of H20 and H+ which makes H3O+. Therefore, there can't be a high concentration of OH-, but that concentration IS NOT 0, because the pH is not very low.
Let me correct you Nan. You may just need to know which answer to choose; however, we try to give you the how without giving the answer. I gave you the HOW to work the problem, I did not give you the answer.
For Aaron, pH = 4 is NOT necessarily a weak acid. A pH = 4 means the H^+ = 1E-4M. A weak acid means the acid is ionized less than 100% so a pH of 4 could be realized by either a weak acid or a strong acid.
For both, I'll repeat that
(H^+)(OH^-) = 1E-14
So if (H^+) = 1E-4, then (OH^-) must be 1E-10.
The problem may not be the best worded in the world since "relatively" is not defined. I agree with Aaron that it can't be answer 4.
To determine the correct answer to this question, let's start by understanding the pH scale which is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, where values below 7 indicate acidity, 7 is considered neutral, and values above 7 indicate alkalinity.
In this case, the solution has a pH of 4, which is below 7, meaning it is acidic. The concentration of hydrogen ions (H3O+) determines the acidity of a solution. As the pH decreases (from neutral to acidic), the concentration of H3O+ ions increases. Therefore, a solution with a pH of 4 will have a relatively high concentration of H3O+ ions.
Now, let's evaluate the given options:
1. Relatively high concentration of OH-: This is incorrect because OH- ions represent hydroxide ions, which are responsible for alkaline conditions. In an acidic solution, the concentration of OH- ions will be low.
2. Relatively low concentration of H3O+: This is also incorrect. As previously explained, an acidic solution will have a high concentration of H3O+ ions. Therefore, a solution with a pH of 4 will not have a low concentration of H3O+ ions.
3. Relatively high concentration of H3O+: This is the correct answer. As mentioned earlier, an acidic solution will have a relatively high concentration of H3O+ ions. Thus, a solution with a pH of 4 will indeed have a relatively high concentration of H3O+ ions.
4. Zero concentration of OH-: This is incorrect since an acidic solution will still have a small concentration of OH- ions, although it will be significantly lower than the concentration of H3O+ ions.
So, the correct answer is option 3: A solution with pH = 4 has a relatively high concentration of H3O+ ions.