pH is an important parameter for many reactions to take place in solution and in biological systems. It is related to the concentration of H⁺ ions through the following expression:
pH = 1/[H⁺] = -log [H⁺]
Wanting to know the pH of a solution is equivalent to knowing the amount of hydrogen ions present. But the pH scale is more convenient than the concentration scale because pH usually takes values between 0 and 14.