Distilled water with a pH of 7 is considered:

Distilled water with a pH of 7 is considered:

• A. A salt
• B. Neutral
• C. An acid
• D. An alkali

Answer: (B)

pH shows how acidic or basic a solution is, and neutral means the hydrogen ion and hydroxide ion levels are equal, giving a pH of about 7 at room temperature. Distilled water is pure H2O with no added ions, so it isn’t a salt. In ideal conditions, water slightly dissociates into H3O+ and OH– in equal amounts, which yields neutral pH. In real life, exposure to air can bring in CO2 and form a tiny amount of carbonic acid, nudging the pH a bit below 7, but under standard lab conditions distilled water is considered neutral. An acid has pH below 7, and an alkali (base) has pH above 7, so distilled water at 7 fits the neutral category.

pH shows how acidic or basic a solution is, and neutral means the hydrogen ion and hydroxide ion levels are equal, giving a pH of about 7 at room temperature. Distilled water is pure H2O with no added ions, so it isn’t a salt. In ideal conditions, water slightly dissociates into H3O+ and OH– in equal amounts, which yields neutral pH. In real life, exposure to air can bring in CO2 and form a tiny amount of carbonic acid, nudging the pH a bit below 7, but under standard lab conditions distilled water is considered neutral. An acid has pH below 7, and an alkali (base) has pH above 7, so distilled water at 7 fits the neutral category.