How are pH and pKa related?

Posted May 24, 2024

Answer

pKa measures the strength of an acid in a solution while pH indicates whether a solution is acidic or basic. pH and pKa are related in that the pKa represents the pH at which a chemical species either accepts or donates a proton. A lower pKa indicates a stronger acid with higher capability to donate a proton in an aqueous solution. The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation establishes a relationship between pKa and pH.

Additional resources

Correct pK values for dissociation constant of carbonic acid lower the reported Km values of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase to half. Presentation of a nomograph and an equation for determining the pK values

pKa to pKb Conversion Table

pKa and pKb Reference Table