The terms acid and base describe chemical characteristics of many substances that we use daily. Acidic things taste sour. Basic or alkaline things taste soapy. Strong acids are corrosive and strong bases are caustic; both can cause severe skin damage that feels like a burn.
However, mild acids and bases are common and relatively harmless to us. What makes a substance acidic or basic? The following equation is a good place to start:. We begin with two water molecules, and move some hydrogen atoms around. One water molecule gains a hydrogen and therefore takes on a positive charge, while the other water molecule loses a hydrogen atom and therefore becomes negatively charged.
OH - is called a hydroxyl ion and it makes things basic. However, in water, there is a balance between hydroniums and hydroxyls so they cancel each others' charges. Pure water is neither acidic or basic; it is neutral. So how does something become acidic or basic?
That happens when the hydroniums and the hydroxyls are out of balance. If there are more positively charged hydroniums than negatively charged hydroxyls, then the substance is acidic. Water with high pH can also cause so much scale build up in piping that water flow is reduced, clogging it like an artery.
This can cause poor water pressure throughout your home. While the pH of drinking water is not regulated by the EPA or other government agencies, they do recommend the level is between 6.
The article concludes that when it comes to drinking water, there is no reason to consider the pH level because the body naturally balances pH levels. As mentioned earlier, pH is like water temperature.
If you have hot water, you add cold water to bring it to room temperature. Balancing pH works in the same sense. To increase the pH of acidic water, you want to neutralize it by adding the minerals that it is looking for. This can be done using an Acid Neutralizer whole home filter.
The Acid Neutralizer uses a naturally occurring calcium carbonate media, called calcite, that dissolves in the acidic water to raise the pH level. Finding the appropriate level of correction needed for your water can be tricky, so it is important to talk to your local water treatment expert to install the equipment properly.
Hard water can easily be treated with a water softener that works by ion-exchange. The resin in a water softener is negatively charged to attract the positively-charged hardness ions. This stops the minerals from getting into the water supply and eliminates hard water headaches throughout the home.
If you have concerns about the pH level in your home, reach out to your local water expert to learn more. Back to Resources. Call Me Email Me. The effect is becoming more evident in oceanic pH studies over time. The above equations also explain why rain has a pH of approximately 5. As raindrops fall through the air, they interact with carbon dioxide molecules in the atmosphere.
A pH level of 5. Natural, unpolluted rain or snow is expected to have pH levels near 5. Acid rain requires a pH below 5. Carbonate materials and limestone are two elements that can buffer pH changes in water. When carbonate minerals are present in the soil, the buffering capacity alkalinity of water is increased, keeping the pH of water close to neutral even when acids or bases are added.
Additional carbonate materials beyond this can make neutral water slightly basic. As mentioned earlier, unpolluted rain is slightly acidic pH of 5. If rain falls on a poorly buffered water source, it can decrease the pH of nearby water through runoff. Anthropogenic causes of pH fluctuations are usually related to pollution. Acid rain is one of the best known examples of human influence on the pH of water. Any form of precipitation with a pH level less than 5.
This precipitation comes from the reaction of water with nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and other acidic compounds, lowering its already slightly acidic pH. These chemicals can come from agricultural runoff, wastewater discharge or industrial runoff.
Wastewater discharge that contains detergents and soap-based products can cause a water source to become too basic. Typical pH levels vary due to environmental influences, particularly alkalinity. The alkalinity of water varies due to the presence of dissolved salts and carbonates, as well as the mineral composition of the surrounding soil. The recommended pH range for most fish is between 6. Oceanic organisms like clownfish and coral require higher pH levels. Sensitive freshwater species such as salmon prefer pH levels between 7.
Natural precipitation, both rain and snow, has a pH near 5. Most grasses and legumes prefer soils with a pH of 4. The acidity of the surrounding environment can also affect the pH of water. This is most obvious near mining areas, but the effect can also occur naturally.
This may be tolerable for some aquatic species such as frogs but not for most fish. Some frogs and other amphibians can often tolerate pH levels as low as 4. That is why angel fish and discus from the Amazon River Basin can thrive quite happily in waters with a pH as low as 5. Seawater has a pH around 8. In deeper lakes where stratification layering occurs, the pH of water is generally higher 7.
Some states, such as Alaska, are attempting to maintain a pH standard for water quality. These layers are separated by clines, known as thermoclines temperature divides or chemoclines chemistry gradients.
Chemoclines can be based on oxygen, salinity, or other chemical factors that do not cross the cline, such as carbon dioxide. Differences in pH levels between water strata are due to increased CO2 from respiration and decomposition below the thermocline. In crater lakes such as Lake Nyos or Lake Monoun, the pH rapidly drops from a surface level around 7 to 5. This significant drop comes from the saturated CO2 that is stored up in the lower strata of the lake.
While ideal pH levels for fish are fish blood has a pH of 7. A dramatic fluctuation is considered a shift in pH of 1. For saltwater fish, the pH of water should remain between 7.
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