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Give the pH of a nitric acid (HNO3) solution with a [H3O+] of 2.1 x 10-4 M? a. 3.67 b. 10.00 c. 10.33 d. 0.00021

pH is a measure of the concentration of [`~H_3O^+` ] ions.

  • Substances that have a high concentration of [`~H_3O^+` ] ions have a pH that is less than 7 and are classified as acids. Strong acids have lower pH numbers than weak acids.

  • Substances that have a low concentration of [`~H_3O^+` ] ions have a pH that is greater than 7 and are classified as bases. Strong bases have higher pH numbers than weak bases. 

  • Substances that have equal concentrations of [`~H_3O^+` ] ions and [`~OH^-` ] have a pH of 7 and are classified as neutral.

pH is determined using the following formula:


   pH = -log[`~H_3O^+` ]


Therefore, the pH of a nitric acid solution with a concentration `2.1 x ~10^-^4` ` ` M [`~H_3O^+` ] ions is:


  pH = -log[`~H_3O^+` ] = -log(`2.1 x ~10^-^4` ) = 3.67


The answer is a.

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