Identifying Acidity, Basicity, and Neutrality of Substances Based on pOH Values

What are the classifications of rainwater, cola, tomato juice, and liquid drain cleaner in terms of acidity, basicity, or neutrality based on their respective pOH values?

Understanding Acidity, Basicity, and Neutrality

To determine whether each substance is acidic, basic, or neutral, we can look at the pOH values provided for each substance. The pOH is a measure of the hydroxide ion (OH-) concentration in a solution and is linked to the pH value through the equation: pOH = 14 - pH.

If the pOH value is less than 7, the solution is acidic. If the pOH value is greater than 7, the solution is acidic. If the pOH value is 7, the solution is neutral. Let's examine each substance based on its pOH value:

• Rainwater: pOH = 8.5, pH = 14 - 8.5 = 5.5 (Acidic)
• Cola: pOH = 11, pH = 14 - 11 = 3 (Acidic)
• Tomato Juice: pOH = 10, pH = 14 - 10 = 4 (Acidic)
• Liquid Drain Cleaner: pOH = 0, pH = 14 - 0 = 14 (Basic)

Based on these calculations, we can classify the substances as follows:

• Rainwater: Acidic
• Cola: Acidic
• Tomato Juice: Acidic
• Liquid Drain Cleaner: Basic