🔍 Key Concepts

• pH scale and what the numbers represent (0–14) • Difference between acidic, neutral, and alkaline/basic solutions • How boiler water treatment usually tries to control corrosion and scale by managing pH

💭 Think About

• Think about what happens as the pH number decreases toward 0: does the solution gain more acid or more base characteristics? • Recall what pH value corresponds to neutral water, and then decide what it means to move away from that point toward the low end of the scale. • Consider which of the choices (neutral, alkaline, acidic, soft) actually describes a chemical property related to the pH scale.

✅ Before You Answer

• Know that neutral water has a specific pH value in the middle of the scale. • Remember that alkaline is another term for basic and is associated with the high end of the pH scale. • Confirm that soft water describes mineral content, not where it falls on the pH scale.