The Chemistry Book

Acids are substances that give off hydrogen ions (H⁺).

When determining the acidity of a substance, one measures its "pH". The pH is the concentration of hydrogen ions. If the pH is below 7, the substance is considered an acid.

Mathematically, the pH is equal to the -log₁₀[H⁺].

[H⁺] is the concentration of Hydrogen ions. The brackets indicate concentration.

If the pH of a substance is 3, the concentration of hydrogen ions would be 1 x 10^-3. This is a small concentration, however when compared to a base with a pH of 9 (meaning the concentration of hydrogen ions is 1 x 10^-9 it is relatively a high concentration).

Other examples

If an acid has a pH of 2, the concentration would be 1 x 10^-2.

If an acid has a pH of 4.5, the concentration would be 1 x 10^-4.5.

Examples of Acids

Stomach acid,

Lemon juice,

Soda.

Further Reading

Acidity of Soda

An article from livescience.com about the acidity of common sodas and their effects on tooth enamel.^[1]

References

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