What should be the range for the exponent of [H+] in solutions that are characterized as acidic?

A. 0 to -0.07
B. 0 to 0.7
C. 0 to -7
D. 0 to 7

The answer is C

Acids have pH = 0 to pH = 7 so

pH = -log(H^+).
pH 0 then (H^+) = 1 x 10^0
pH 7 then (H^+) = 1 x 10^-7

sorry for commenting on a q that isn't mine but my calculator doesn't let me find the value for 10^-7. do you know why? and also what the value is?

To determine the range for the exponent of [H+] in acidic solutions, we need to understand the concept of pH. The pH scale is a logarithmic scale used to represent the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. The value of pH is defined as the negative logarithm (base 10) of the concentration of hydrogen ions ([H+]) in a solution.

Acidic solutions have a higher concentration of hydrogen ions, which means the value of [H+] will be higher. Therefore, in terms of the exponent of [H+], we should look for a range that includes positive values.

Now let's evaluate the given options:

A. 0 to -0.07: This range includes only negative values, which means it does not represent acidic solutions.

B. 0 to 0.7: This range includes positive values, which indicates it could potentially be the correct range for acidic solutions. However, the exponent value can theoretically go higher than 0.7, so this range seems limited.

C. 0 to -7: Again, this range only includes negative values, which means it does not represent acidic solutions.

D. 0 to 7: This range includes positive values, which suggests it could be the appropriate range for acidic solutions. Additionally, a pH value of 7 is considered neutral on the pH scale, so the range from 0 to 7 covers the acidic region (pH values below 7).

Based on the information above, the correct answer would be D. 0 to 7.

That's perfectly ok. You aren't plugging it in right. On my calculator, if you hit the 10^x key then -7, you get the answer of 1E-7. If you're going the other way (that is, given (H^+) = 1E-7, and you want the pH), then hit the log button, type in 1E-7 and you will get -7, then change the sign (or multiply by -1) to get pH = 7.