# In chemistry, is there anything else similar to the concept of pH / acids and bases? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2014, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-chemistry-is-there-anything-else-similar-to-the-concept-of-ph-acids-and-bases/705048 "2014-11-19T05:01:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-chemistry-is-there-anything-else-similar-to-the-concept-of-ph-acids-and-bases/705048/21 "2014-11-25T02:43:40Z")
There are tables of pKa (the acid disassociation constant) available for a number of basic molecules and common functional groups. Evans from Harvard has a pretty good table online as a PDF. Interestingly, quite a lot of functional groups only have a DMSO pKa, which are always higher (in other words, less acidic) than in water. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-chemistry-is-there-anything-else-similar-to-the-concept-of-ph-acids-and-bases/705048/22 "2014-11-25T03:47:23Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Interestingly, quite a lot of functional groups only have a DMSO pKa, which are always higher (in other words, less acidic) than in water. Cationic species that deprotonate to form a neutral species often have a lower pKa in DMSO than in water. E.g protonated amines. I spent way too much time with those tables back in my lab days. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-chemistry-is-there-anything-else-similar-to-the-concept-of-ph-acids-and-bases/705048.md?page=1)