pH

In any aqueous solution, water dissociates slightly to form hydrogen ion ([ H⁺ ]) and hydroxide ion ([ OH^- ]).

In an aqueous solution, the product of the hydrogen ion concentration and the hydroxide ion concentration is known as K_w.

pH is a quantitative description of the acidity of an aqueous solution. pH can be described as

where [ H⁺ ] is the hydrogen ion concentration in the solution. pH values between 4 ([ H⁺ ] = 10^-4 M) and 10 ([ H⁺ ] = 10^-10 M) are nomally used for ion exchange chromatography

Related Topics

Buffers

Charge on Proteins

Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation

Relationship of Charge to pH