The spelling of the word "alkaline" might seem tricky at first, but it's actually quite straightforward once you understand its pronunciation. The word is pronounced [al-kuh-lahyn] and is spelled with an "a" after the "k" instead of an "i" because the root word "alkali" is pronounced with an "a" sound as well. The "-ine" suffix is commonly used in chemistry to denote a compound, so "alkaline" refers to a substance which has an alkaline pH.
Alkaline is an adjective that describes a substance with a basic or high pH level in a chemical system. In simpler terms, alkaline refers to the ability of a substance to neutralize or counteract acidity. It is the opposite of acidic.
In a chemical context, alkaline solutions or substances have a pH level greater than 7 on the pH scale, which ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is considered neutral, so anything above 7 is considered alkaline or basic, while anything below 7 is considered acidic. The pH scale measures the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in a solution.
Alkaline substances typically release hydroxide ions (OH-) when dissolved in water. This hydroxide ion donates OH- ions, which can act as bases and accept protons from acids, resulting in the formation of water. This property of alkaline substances makes them effective at neutralizing acids by lowering the concentration of H+ ions.
Furthermore, alkaline substances can have various practical applications. For instance, alkaline batteries use a basic electrolyte solution to generate electric current. Alkaline substances are also commonly found in cleaning products, where they help break down greasy and acidic substances effectively due to their ability to neutralize acids.
In summary, alkaline refers to substances that have a high pH level, above 7, making them basic and opposite in nature to acidic substances. They can neutralize acids and have various practical applications in chemical systems and everyday products.
Relating to an alkali; having the reaction of an alkali.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
Having the properties of an alkali; the alkaline earths are lime, magnesia, baryta, and strontia.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "alkaline" comes from the Arabic word "al-qalī" (القلي), which means "ashes of saltwort". Saltwort is a plant commonly found in coastal and desert regions. The ashes of saltwort were used in early times to make lye, a strong alkaline solution. The term "alkaline" was later adopted in the English language to describe substances with similar chemical properties.