pH
![Lemon juice tastes sour because it contains 5% to 6% citric acid and has a pH of 2.2. (high acidity)](/Images/godic/202502/04/Lemon5545.jpg")
![Chart showing the variation of color of universal indicator paper with pH](/Images/godic/202502/04/Universal_indicator_paper5545.jpg")
![pH values of some common substances](/Images/godic/202502/04/216_pH_Scale-015545.jpg")
In chemistry, pH (/piːˈeɪtʃ/) is a numeric scale used to specify the acidity or basicity (alkalinity) of an aqueous solution. It is roughly the negative of the logarithm to base 10 of the molar concentration, measured in units of moles per liter, of hydrogen ions. More precisely it is the negative of the logarithm to base 10 of the activity of the hydrogen ion. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic. Pure water is neutral, being neither an acid nor a base. Contrary to popular belief, the pH value can be less than 0 or greater than 14 for very strong acids and bases respectively.