A pH of 0 is typically achieved by a highly concentrated strong acid, specifically a 1 mol dm−3 solution of such an acid, as described in the provided reference.
What Solution Has a pH of 0?
According to the information provided, a strong acid at a particular concentration level is characterized by a pH value of 0. The reference material explicitly states that a solution of a strong acid, like hydrochloric acid (HCl), when at a concentration of 1 mol dm−3 (which means one mole per cubic decimetre of solution), exhibits a pH of 0.
This indicates that a pH of exactly 0 represents a state of very high acidity, resulting from a substantial concentration of hydrogen ions (H⁺) released by a substance that fully dissociates in water.
Understanding pH 0 on the Scale
The pH scale is a standard measure used to determine how acidic or basic (alkaline) an aqueous solution is. While it commonly ranges from 0 to 14, pH values can extend below 0 or above 14 for extremely concentrated solutions.
- A pH value of 7 signifies a neutral solution (like pure water at 25°C).
- pH values below 7 indicate increasing acidity.
- pH values above 7 indicate increasing alkalinity.
A pH of 0 is located at the extreme acidic end of the standard pH spectrum. As noted in the reference, the pH scale is logarithmic. This fundamental aspect means that each whole number decrease in pH represents a tenfold increase in the concentration of hydrogen ions. Consequently, a solution with a pH of 0 has a significantly higher concentration of H⁺ ions than solutions with pH 1, pH 2, and so forth.
Comparing Extreme pH Values
The reference provides a useful comparison to understand the extremes of the pH scale by looking at highly concentrated strong acids and alkalis:
| Solution Type | Example | Concentration | Typical pH Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Acid | Hydrochloric Acid | 1 mol dm−3 | 0 |
| Strong Alkali | Sodium Hydroxide | Same (1 mol dm−3) | 14 |
(Based on information directly from the provided reference)
This comparison shows that while a 1 mol dm−3 solution of a strong acid like HCl registers a pH of 0, representing maximum acidity on the common scale, a strong alkali such as sodium hydroxide at the identical concentration registers a pH of 14, representing the opposite extreme of high basicity.
Therefore, based on the provided reference, a pH of 0 is specifically the pH level of a 1 mol dm−3 solution of a strong acid like hydrochloric acid.
