pK

A measure of the completeness of an incomplete chemical reaction, using a logarithmic scale. Also used to express the extent of dissociation of weak acids and complex ions. The weaker the electrolyte, the larger is its pK. The strengths of different acids may be compared by using pK values. Mathematically speaking, pK is the negative of the logarithm of the ionization (dissociation) constant (pKeq) of a chemical compound.

Back to Glossary Index Page