The relationship between pH and the concentration of H+ ions is given by the equation:
pH = -log[H+]
In this equation, [H+] represents the concentration of H+ ions in moles per liter (M). The pH scale is a logarithmic scale that measures the acidity or basicity of a solution. By taking the negative logarithm of the concentration of H+ ions, we obtain the pH value.
To understand why 1/pH is equivalent to the concentration of H+ ions, we can rearrange the equation as follows:
[H+] = 10^(-pH)
Taking the reciprocal of both sides of the equation, we get:
1/[H+] = 1/(10^(-pH))
Using the properties of exponents, we can rewrite 10^(-pH) as 1/(10^pH):
1/[H+] = 1/(1/(10^pH))
Simplifying further, we get:
1/[H+] = 10^pH
Now, if we substitute pH with -log[H+], we have:
1/[H+] = 10^(-log[H+])
Using the property that 10 raised to the power of the logarithm of a number gives us the number itself, we get:
1/[H+] = [H+]
Therefore, 1/pH is equivalent to the concentration of H+ ions, [H+].