The point of zero charge (pzc) is generally described as the pH at which the net charge of total particle surface (i.e. absorbent's surface) is equal to zero, which concept has been introduced in the studies dealt with colloidal flocculation to explain pH affecting the phenomenon.

A related concept in electrochemistry is the electrode potential at the point of zero charge. Generally, the pzc in electrochemistry is the value of the negative decimal logarithm of the activity of the potential-determining ion in the bulk fluid. The pzc is of fundamental importance in surface science. For example, in the field of environmental science, it determines how easily a substrate is able to adsorb potentially harmful ions. It also has countless applications in technology of colloids, e.g., flotation of minerals. Therefore, the pzc value has been examined in many application of adsorption to the environmental science. The pzc value is typically obtained by titrations and several titration method has been developed. Related values associated with the soil characteristics exist along with the pzc value, including zero point of charge (zpc), point of zero net charge (pznc), etc.