How do acids affect the hydrogen ion concentration in a solution?

Understand the Problem

The question is asking how acids influence the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution, specifically whether they increase or decrease this concentration or have no effect.

More Information

When acids are added to a solution, they dissociate to release hydrogen ions (H+), thereby increasing the concentration of these ions and lowering the pH.

Tips

A common mistake is confusing the effects of acids and bases. Remember that acids increase H+ concentration while bases increase OH- concentration.

Sources

• A primer on pH - pmel.noaa.gov
• How do acids and bases affect the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution - socratic.org