pOH
Definition
pOH is a measure of the concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-) in a solution. Like pH, it also uses a scale from 0 to 14 but inversely related to pH - lower pOH values indicate more basic solutions and higher values indicate more acidic solutions.
Analogy
If pH is like the temperature control on your shower, then pOH is like the reverse setting. Lower numbers are hotter (more basic), while higher numbers are colder (more acidic).
Related terms
Hydroxide Ion: A negatively charged molecule made up of one oxygen bonded to one hydrogen.
Acidic Solution: A solution with a pH less than 7.
Basic Solution: A solution with a pH greater than 7.
"pOH" appears in:
Study guides (3)
Practice Questions (4)
- In an aqueous solution, the hydrogen ion concentration is 2.4x10-3 M. What is the pOH?
- What is the pOH of a 1.24x10-4 M solution of Ca(OH)2?
- A solution has a pOH of 10.24. What is the concentration of H⁺ ions?
- 5.0 L of a 0.45 M solution of H2SO4 is added to 2.3 L of 1.2 M LiOH. What is the pOH of the resulting solution?
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