Editing Alkalinity (section)

== History ==
In 1884, Professor [[William Dittmar|Wilhelm (William) Dittmar]] of Anderson College, now the [[University of Strathclyde]], analysed 77 pristine seawater samples from around the world brought back by the [[Challenger expedition]]. He found that in seawater the major ions were in a fixed ratio, confirming the hypothesis of [[Johan Georg Forchhammer]], that is now known as the Principle of Constant Proportions. However, there was one exception. Dittmar found that the concentration of calcium was slightly greater in the deep ocean, and named this increase alkalinity.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Also in 1884, [[Svante Arrhenius]] submitted his PhD theses in which he advocated the existence of [[ion]]s in solution, and defined acids as [[hydronium]] ion donors and bases as [[hydroxide]] ion donors. For that work, he received the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] in 1903.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1903 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1903/summary/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=NobelPrize.org |language=en-US}}</ref> See also [[Svante Arrhenius#Ionic disassociation]].