Читать книгу Biochemistry For Dummies - John Moore T., Richard Langley H., John T. Moore - Страница 19

In aqueous solutions — especially in biological systems — the concentration of hydrogen ions is very important. Biological systems often take great pains to make sure that their hydrogen ion concentration — represented as or by the measurement of pH (the measure of acidity in a solution) — doesn’t change.

Even minor changes in hydrogen ion concentration can have dire consequences to a living organism. For example, the human body can function properly only if its blood’s hydrogen ion concentration falls within a very small range. Hydrogen ion concentrations higher or lower than this range can cause death.

Because living organisms are so dependent on pH, we review the concepts of acids, bases, and pH in the following sections.