The term pH has been in use for nearly a century. It is a logarithmic measure of the hydrogen ion concentration ([H+]): pH = -log10[H+]. (Technically, there aren't bare protons (H+) floating around in solutions, but that's another post!) The original symbol was pH. and introduced by Sörensen in 1909. Theories vary as to the origin of the p - all agree it means power but whether in Latin, French or German, seems in dispute. I would hazard it was either German or Latin as the original paper was published in German (Biochem. Zeitschr.). If I were not on the road, I'd look it up.
The modern form pH was introduced in 1920, "as a matter of typographical convenience".
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3 weeks ago in Genomics, Medicine, and Pseudoscience
Students always write "PH".
ReplyDeleteI understood that pH stood for pouvoir hydrogene (powers of hydrogen). Hope you enjoy Chicago ACS. My trip got yanked out from under me.
ReplyDeleteI always write pH! Never than less isn't better to say is the base 10 negative log of the hydrogen ion activity {H+}?
ReplyDeleteI think that what hydrogen sensitive electrodes measures.