What Is the Basic pH Level?

Chemistry students know not to handle substances in the lab without proper guidance and protection; that is because even the most benign looking liquid can be quite dangerous. One method of classifying substances is by their pH level, which is a measure of each substance's acidity or alkalinity. A little over half of the pH scale is considered a basic pH level.

The pH Scale

• The acidity or alkalinity of a substance is measured using the pH scale. The scale runs from 0 to 14. A neutral pH level is 7. pH levels that fall below 7 on the scale are acidic; those above 7 on the scale are alkaline. The scale is logarithmic, which means every point on the scale represents a 10-fold increase or decrease compared to the last point. This means a substance with a 6 pH is ten times as acidic as a substance with a 7 pH and a 5 pH is ten times as acidic as a 6 pH and 100 times as acidic as a 7 pH.

Acids and Bases and the Basic pH Level

• In chemistry terms, pH is a way of distinguishing acids and bases. When acids and bases combine, they cancel out each other's extremes. Alkaline substances are also called bases. Therefore, a basic pH level is any level that falls above 7 on the pH scale.

Characteristics of Acids and Bases

• Substances that fall below 7 on the pH scale turn litmus paper red and will have a sour taste. Basic substances, which have a higher than 7 pH, feel slippery or soapy, taste bitter and will turn litmus paper blue. Both strong acids and strong bases can burn your skin.

Examples of Acids and Bases

• Many household substances are acidic: lemon juice has a pH between 1 and 2 and vinegar between 2 and 3. Milk has a pH between 6 and 7. Pure water has a neutral pH of 7. Basic substances include milk of magnesia, between 10 and 11 on the scale and ammonia, between 11 and 12. Potentially dangerous substances include battery acid and lye, which fall on opposite ends of the pH scale. Battery acid has a pH of 0 to 1 and Lye of 13 to 14.