Both of the ions are hydrated, as discussed above, and the ionic forms are stabilized in this way. The pH of the aqueous solution is defined by a formula depending on the concentration of hydrogen ions formed spontaneously when the acid is dissoved in water. The higher the concentration of hydrogen ions, the lower the pH. Water itself has a pH of 7.0, so that solutions of acids show a pH ranging from 0 to 7. As examples, a standard solution of formic acid in water has a pH of about 2.3, and a solution of acetic acid is about pH 2.4 to 2.9, depending on concentration. Any substance with a pH below 7 in aqueous solution can be described as acidic.
All acids can form salts with metal cations.
If the acidic hydrogen atom of a carboxylic acid is replaced by an alkyl group, the product is an ester . CH 3 COCH 2 CO 2 C 2 H 5 . These are not ethers. When translating the names of esters, do not hesitate to grab the first part of the name from the end of the foreign name, and to continue with the name of the acid, no matter how different such a construction may seem to be from the source document's nomenclature. The next topics of discussion will be polyesters, lactones, and anhydrides.