Gram equivalent

A gram equivalent is a unit expressing the amount of hydrogen ions (H⁺) that a particular substance can release or accept in a chemical reaction. Specifically, the value obtained by dividing the molecular weight of an acid by the number of hydrogen ions the acid can release is called the equivalent weight, and expressing this in grams gives the gram equivalent. For bases, the equivalent is calculated in the same way, by dividing the molecular weight by the number of hydroxide groups (OH⁻) contained in the molecule. In research on sake brewing and flavor, the gram equivalent is an important indicator for understanding the balance between acids and bases.