Change Water pH Easily - Just ADD Salt!

Water in nature is rarely pure in the "distilled water'' sense. It contains dissolved salts, buffers, nutrients, etc., with exact concentrations dependent on local conditions. Water also typically has four measurable properties that are commonly used to characterize its chemistry. They are pH, buffering capacity, general hardness and salinity. In addition, there are several nutrients and trace elements.

What is pH?

pH is the measurement of a liquids level of acidity or alkalinity. The pH scale runs from 0.0 to 14.0 with 7.0 being neutral. Acids have low pH values with anything lower than a 7 and alkaline solutions have high pH with anything above a 7. If the solution has an equal amount of acidic and alkaline molecules, the pH is considered neutral.

What are the chemical properties of salt?

Sodium chloride, more commonly known as salt, is one of the most common mineral compounds found in the world. It is required for the human body to function normally because the sodium-potassium exchange is an integral part in the human heart beat. Salt absorbs water from its surroundings, hence why it dissolves when you pour it in a glass of water.

There is a general rule in chemistry as to how salts affect solution pH. First of all, table salt does not react with water, so it would only change the volume of the water, not its pH. If the salt of a strong base and weak acid is dissolved in water it will form an alkaline solution, whereas, the salt of a weak base and strong acid will form an acidic solution. The salts of a strong acid and strong base or a weak acid and weak base will both form a neutral or near neutral solution. For example, sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) will form a neutral solution when dissolved in water because it is the salt of a strong base and strong acid, whereas, tri-sodium phosphate (Na3PO4) will form an alkaline solution because it is the salt of a strong base and weak acid. Sodium chloride is table salt and when it is added to water it breaks down into ions of sodium and chloride. Neither of them reacts to water so adding it to water will only change the volume, not the pH. In order for a type of salt to affect the pH it has to react with water to release or bind the hydrogen atoms from the water.