Morgan Johnson

Chem 1010
Terry Roylance
25 April 2016

Signature Assignment: pH in the Body

When I think about chemistry the first thing that comes to mind are elements in
the periodic table. The periodic table was made to organize the elements in a convenient
and logical way. Throughout the semester we learned the skills to use this table to solve
many homework problems and answer a variety of questions. There are 118 elements
that we have discovered so far, although anything over the atomic number 100 does not
last more than a couple milliseconds. Everything in the world is made out of some
combination of these elements. Without the elements in the periodic table, there would
be no chemistry. Chemistry is defined by dictionary.com as the branch of science that
deals with the identification of the substances of which matter is composed and the
investigation of their properties. Chemistry studies the ways that elements interact,
combine, and change. We are constantly surrounded by chemistry at work. As I have
learned this semester, elements come in many different combinations and forms.
Different elements can carry different charges; an element can be positively or
negatively charged making it a cation or anion, respectively. I am interested in learning
more about the human body and its compositions relationship to chemistry. Essentially
all bodily processes rely on chemistry to keep them working correctly. The human body
is comprised of many elements, but the two I am going to specifically focus on are the
ions, H+ and OH-.

The pH scale is very important tool that we use in chemistry to determine a

substances acidity or alkalinity. pH is the abbreviation for potential hydrogen. In any
solution, the pH is its hydrogen-ion concentration. The higher the concentration of H+
ions, the more acidic a compound is. Similarly, the higher the concentration of OHions, the more basic a compound is. The complete pH scale ranges from zero to
fourteen. Zero to Seven is considered acidic. Eight to fourteen is alkaline. The very
center of the scale, seven, is considered to have a neutral pH. In the body, a proper pH
is essential to life. A poor pH balance in the body can cause many health problems and a
general feeling of illness.
The human body has several different pH levels within it. Our blood is slightly
alkaline with an ideal pH score of about 7.4. Our eyes are generally close to a neutral
pH, around 7.0-7.3. Saliva and urine have a slightly acidic range of about 6-6.5. The pH
of your stomach varies slightly, ranging from about 1-2 up to about 3-4, depending on
what you ate. To put it into perspective, I will give you a couple of examples pertaining
to the pH scale. Common acids are battery acid (1), gastric acid (2), hydrochloric acid
(3), soda (4), acid rain (5), black coffee (6), and saliva/urine (6.5), listed from most
acidic to least acidic. Pure water is generally the marker for a pH of 7, or completely
neutral. As I mentioned before, the pH of blood is usually slightly alkaline with a value
of pH 7.365. Some common alkaline mixtures/compounds are the following in order of
least to most basic: sea water (8), baking soda (9), the Great Salt Lake (10), ammonia
solution (11), soapy water (12), bleach (13), and liquid drain cleaner (14).
If the blood in our bodies gets out of its normal pH balance, the consequences can
be fatal. Maintaining its slightly alkaline state can be a challenge, due to the acid
producing functions that take place in the body. Eating acid-producing foods can also

create a challenge for our bodies to maintain normal pH levels. So how do they do it?
The answer is buffers.
When a strong acid or base is added to unbuffered water, the pH of the water will
drastically change. However, if the water has a buffer, the solution will resist change in pH
with the addition of acidic or basic components. A buffer will not change the pH of a
solution, rather it will help the pH stay at a more stable place on the pH scale. One of the
most important buffer systems is found inside the human body- in blood. It is called the
bicarbonate buffer system. It is a system that helps us maintain an acid-base homeostasis.
This buffer involves the balancing of carbonic acid, bicarbonate ions, and carbon dioxide in
order to maintain pH in the body to support proper metabolic function.
It is also very important that the stomach stays within a certain range of acidity. When
food enters the stomach, it releases enzymes called proteases. With the release of proteases,
the stomach also produces hydrochloric acid. By itself, the acid does not do much for the
digestion of food. However, the proteases need that acidic environment to carry out their
normal duties of cleaving proteins and breaking down food. The more protein in your
stomach, the more proteases needed. The more proteases, the lower the pH of your stomach
will be need to be, so it will secrete more hydrochloric acid. After a high-protein meal your
stomachs pH may be as low as 1 or 2. If your stomach produces too much acid, you may
become bloated, gassy, and get heartburn. Your bodys natural buffers will try to act as fast as
they can to regulate this high pH level back to normal, but sometimes the side effects are too
uncomfortable in the meantime. That is why we have Tums for after you eat one too many
hotdogs or cheeseburgers. They are called antacids because they neutralize the acid in your
stomach. The neutralizing chemicals in antacids are generally sodium, potassium,
magnesium, calcium or aluminum salts. When the acid is neutralized, usually heartburn is

reduced or alleviated. As your meal has been digested, your stomach pH will return to a
resting level of about 4 or 5.
The body is comprised of many different systems to maintain homeostasis of pH.
I could go on forever talking about each one of them, but I will conclude my paper here.
Chemistry can be applied to many different things in life that you would not even think
twice about. Life itself depends on the mechanisms of chemistry. If it were not for
buffers, we would die of toxic acidity every time we ate an orange. pH and buffers are
essential to normal function. I learned a lot from my research writing this paper, and I
hope I was able to relay that information to you.

Works Cited:

Helemstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "What Is the PH of the Stomach?"AboutEducation. N.p.,

24 May 2016. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
"How Antacids Work." Human Touch of Chemistry. Everyday Chemistry, n.d. Web.
Apr. 2016.
John, Tina M., Dr. "Why Do Antacids Relieve Heartburn?"LIVESTRONG.COM.
LIVESTRONG.COM, 31 July 2015. Web. 01 May 2016.

Mitchell, T., Ph.D. "The Journal of Physiology Volume 73, Issue 4, Article First
Published Online: 17 DEC 1931." The Buffer Substances of the Gastric Juice, and
Their Relation to Gastric Mucus. Wiley Online, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Stewart, Nicole. "Signs of Too Much Acid in the Stomach."LIVESTRONG.COM.

LIVESTRONG.COM, 05 Mar. 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.

Williams, David, Dr. "Proper PH Balance Is Critical for Good Health." Dr. David
Williams. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2016.