pKa and pKb

[Aizelle Estacio 2A]

What is pKa and pKb and how does it relate to ph and acidity?

[Meera Patel 1H]

Hi! pKa measures the strength of an acid and pKb measures the strength of a base. They do so by indicating how well the acids and bases dissociate as they are the negative log of the dissociation constants. The pKa and the pKb are associated with pH as they tell you the strength of the substances. A stronger acid will donate a proton more readily and will have a lower pH. A strong acid is indicated by a low pKa. In this sense, the pKa relates to acidity by telling you how strong the acid is and how acidic it will make the solution (which will lower the pH). I hope this helped!