Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid that dissociates completely in water. The concentration of HCl affects the pH of the solution.
When HCl dissolves in water, it forms H⁺ ions and Cl⁻ ions. Since HCl is a strong acid, it fully dissociates, meaning that for every mole of HCl, you get an equal number of moles of H⁺ ions.
A 0.10 M solution of HCl means that the concentration of H⁺ ions is also 0.10 M.
The pH of a solution can be calculated using the formula:
pH = -log[H⁺]
In this case, the concentration of H⁺ ions is 0.10 M, so we can substitute it into the formula:
pH = -log(0.10)
Using a calculator, you can find:
pH ≈ 1
Therefore, a 0.10 M solution of HCl has a pH of approximately 1.