Understanding the Concepts
* HCl (Hydrochloric Acid): A strong acid, meaning it completely ionizes in water. This means that a 0.1 M HCl solution will produce 0.1 M of H+ ions.
* pH: A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is calculated using the following formula:
pH = -log[H+]
where [H+] is the concentration of hydrogen ions in moles per liter (M).
Calculation
1. Identify the H+ concentration: Since HCl is a strong acid and completely ionizes, the [H+] concentration is equal to the initial HCl concentration, which is 0.1 M.
2. Plug the [H+] into the pH formula:
pH = -log(0.1)
3. Calculate the pH:
pH = 1
Therefore, a 0.1 M HCl solution has a pH of 1.
