Question detail

A solution has a pH of 3. Calculate the hydrogen ion concentration in mol/dm3.

Try the question, check the answer, then read the explanation to understand the curriculum point.

At a glance

Question

Type

exam_style

Style

Topic

Reactions of acids

Question

A solution has a pH of 3. Calculate the hydrogen ion concentration in mol/dm3.

Answer

The calculated answer is 0.001 mol/dm3.

Explanation

This uses Concentration in mol/dm3 because the objective is about (HT only) Explain that a lower pH means a higher hydrogen ion concentration. This exam wording variant asks students to separate HT only from similar Unit 4.4 chemical-change ideas. The reasoning belongs to Strong and weak acids (HT only) within Reactions of acids, so it should not be confused with nearby ideas about acids, alkalis, bases, oxidation, reduction, displacement, reactivity, electrolysis, electrodes, ions, pH, or salt preparation unless those are named in the objective. Use the focus term HT only to keep the answer aligned with AQA GCSE Chemistry 8462 Unit 4.4 Chemical changes. Keep acid, alkali and base distinct; keep oxidation and reduction distinct; do not mix reduction with displacement; keep electrolysis separate from electroplating; distinguish anode from cathode, positive ions from negative ions, oxidation state from ionic charge, and strong acid from concentrated acid.

Common mistake

pH–concentration relationship

Students think a lower pH simply means a lower concentration of hydrogen ions, or they confuse pH with the amount of acid present.

Explain that pH is the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration: pH = –log[H⁺]. A lower pH value indicates a higher [H⁺] because the logarithm function is decreasing. For example, a solution with pH 3 has ten times the [H⁺] of a solution with pH 4, and a pH of 1 has 100 times the [H⁺] of a pH 3 solution. Emphasise that pH is a measure of acidity, not the quantity of acid added.

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