Scribd
Upload
47 views10 pages

Buffer Solutions

1. Buffer solutions are able to resist changes in pH when small amounts of acid or base are added. They maintain pH within a narrow range. 2. The document discusses acidic and alkaline buffer solutions, giving examples of mixtures of acetic acid and sodium acetate or ammonia and ammonium chloride. 3. Buffers work by providing excess reactants that can neutralize added H+ or OH- ions through reversible acid-base reactions, preventing a large change in pH.

Uploaded by

ELYAN
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
47 views10 pages

Buffer Solutions

1. Buffer solutions are able to resist changes in pH when small amounts of acid or base are added. They maintain pH within a narrow range. 2. The document discusses acidic and alkaline buffer solutions, giving examples of mixtures of acetic acid and sodium acetate or ammonia and ammonium chloride. 3. Buffers work by providing excess reactants that can neutralize added H+ or OH- ions through reversible acid-base reactions, preventing a large change in pH.

Uploaded by

ELYAN
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 10

Sulaimani Polytechnic University

Halabja Technical College of Applied Sciences


Medical Laboratory Sciences Department
First srage,first semester

Buffer Solutions

22/12/2019
M.Abass yaqwby

Prepared by:
1. Sawen ali
2. Khushkan muhammed
3. Nigar omer
4. Niga tahir
5. Jwana ramazan

Buffer Solutions

What do you think will happen if the pH of our blood changes drastically from its
normal pH of 7.35? Yes, the cells of our body will not function properly and our
body systems will fail! Human blood contains a ‘buffer’ that allows it to maintain its

pH at 7.35 to ensure normal functioning of cells. Buffer solutions are also


important in chemical and biochemical processes where the control of pH is very
important.

Buffer Solutions
Buffers are solutions that resist a change in pH on dilution or on addition of small
amounts of acids or alkali.

A lot of biological and chemical reactions need a constant pH for the reaction to
proceed. Buffers are extremely useful in these systems to maintain the pH at a
constant value. This does not mean that the pH of buffers does not change. It only
means that the change in pH is not as much as it would be with a solution that is not a
buffer.

Types of Buffer Solutions


Buffers are broadly divided into two types – acidic and alkaline buffer solutions.
Acidic buffers are solutions that have a pH below 7 and contain a weak acid and one
of its salts. For example, a mixture of acetic acid and sodium acetate acts as a buffer
solution with a pH of about 4.75.

Alkaline buffers, on the other hand, have a pH above 7 and contain a weak base and
one of its salts. For example, a mixture of ammonium chloride and ammonium
hydroxide acts as a buffer solution with a pH of about 9.25. Buffer solutions help
maintain the pH of many different things as shown in the image below.

Preparation of a Buffer Solution


If you know the pKa (acid dissociation constant) of the acid and
pKb (base dissociation constant) of the base, then you can make a
buffer of known pH by controlling the ratio of salt and acid or salt and
base. Buffers can either be prepared by mixing a weak acid with its
conjugate base or a weak base with its conjugate acid.

For example, phosphate buffer, a commonly used buffer in research


labs, consists of a weak base (HPO42-) and its conjugate acid (H2PO4–
). Its pH is usually maintained at 7.4.

Buffer Action
So, how does a buffer work? Let’s take the example of a mixture of
acetic acid (CH3COOH) and sodium acetate (CH3COONa). Here, acetic
acid is weakly ionized while sodium acetate is almost completely
ionized. The equations are given as follows:

CH3COOH H+ + CH3COO–

CH3COONa Na+ + CH3COC–


To this, if you add a drop of a strong acid like HCl, the H+ ions from HCl
combine with CH3COO– to give feebly ionized CH3COOH. Thus, there is
a very slight change in the pH value. Now, if you add a drop of NaOH,
the OH– ions react with the free acid to give
undissociated water molecules.

CH3COOH + OH– CH3COO– + H2O

In this way, the OH– ions of NaOH are removed and the pH is almost
unaltered.

Acidic buffer solutions


An acidic buffer solution is simply one which has a pH less than 7.
Acidic buffer solutions are commonly made from a weak acid and one
of its salts - often a sodium salt.

A common example would be a mixture of ethanoic acid and sodium


ethanoate in solution. In this case, if the solution contained equal molar
concentrations of both the acid and the salt, it would have a pH of 4.76.
It wouldn't matter what the concentrations were, as long as they were
the same.

You can change the pH of the buffer solution by changing the ratio of
acid to salt, or by choosing a different acid and one of its salts.

Acidic buffer solutions


We'll take a mixture of ethanoic acid and sodium ethanoate as typical.
Ethanoic acid is a weak acid, and the position of this equilibrium will be
well to the left:

Adding sodium ethanoate to this adds lots of extra ethanoate ions.


According to Le Chatelier's Principle, that will tip the position of the
equilibrium even further to the left.

The solution will therefore contain these important things:

• lots of un-ionised ethanoic acid;


• lots of ethanoate ions from the sodium ethanoate;
• enough hydrogen ions to make the solution acidic.

Other things (like water and sodium ions) which are present aren't
important to the argument.

Adding an acid to this buffer solution


The buffer solution must remove most of the new hydrogen ions
otherwise the pH would drop markedly.

Hydrogen ions combine with the ethanoate ions to make ethanoic acid.
Although the reaction is reversible, since the ethanoic acid is a weak
acid, most of the new hydrogen ions are removed in this way.

Since most of the new hydrogen ions are removed, the pH won't
change very much - but because of the equilibria involved, it will fall a
little bit.
Adding an alkali to this buffer solution
Alkaline solutions contain hydroxide ions and the buffer solution
removes most of these.

This time the situation is a bit more complicated because there


are two processes which can remove hydroxide ions.

Removal by reacting with ethanoic acid

The most likely acidic substance which a hydroxide ion is going to


collide with is an ethanoic acid molecule. They will react to form
ethanoate ions and water.

Because most of the new hydroxide ions are removed, the pH doesn't
increase very much.

Removal of the hydroxide ions by reacting with hydrogen ions

Remember that there are some hydrogen ions present from the
ionisation of the ethanoic acid.

Hydroxide ions can combine with these to make water. As soon as this
happens, the equilibrium tips to replace them. This keeps on happening
until most of the hydroxide ions are removed.
Again, because you have equilibria involved, not all of the hydroxide
ions are removed - just most of them. The water formed re-ionises to a
very small extent to give a few hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions.

Alkaline buffer solutions


An alkaline buffer solution has a pH greater than 7. Alkaline buffer
solutions are commonly made from a weak base and one of its salts.

A frequently used example is a mixture of ammonia solution and


ammonium chloride solution. If these were mixed in equal molar
proportions, the solution would have a pH of 9.25. Again, it doesn't
matter what concentrations you choose as long as they are the same.

Alkaline buffer solutions


We'll take a mixture of ammonia and ammonium chloride solutions as
typical.

Ammonia is a weak base, and the position of this equilibrium will be


well to the left:
Adding ammonium chloride to this adds lots of extra ammonium ions.
According to Le Chatelier's Principle, that will tip the position of the
equilibrium even further to the left.

The solution will therefore contain these important things:

lots of unreacted ammonia;

lots of ammonium ions from the ammonium chloride;

enough hydroxide ions to make the solution alkaline.

Other things (like water and chloride ions) which are present aren't
important to the argument.

Adding an acid to this buffer solution


There are two processes which can remove the hydrogen ions that you
are adding.

Removal by reacting with ammonia

The most likely basic substance which a hydrogen ion is going to


collide with is an ammonia molecule. They will react to form ammonium
ions.

Most, but not all, of the hydrogen ions will be removed. The ammonium
ion is weakly acidic, and so some of the hydrogen ions will be released
again.

Removal of the hydrogen ions by reacting with hydroxide ions


Remember that there are some hydroxide ions present from the
reaction between the ammonia and the water.

Hydrogen ions can combine with these hydroxide ions to make water.
As soon as this happens, the equilibrium tips to replace the hydroxide
ions. This keeps on happening until most of the hydrogen ions are
removed.

Again, because you have equilibria involved, not all of the hydrogen
ions are removed - just most of them.

Adding an alkali to this buffer solution


The hydroxide ions from the alkali are removed by a simple reaction
with ammonium ions.

Because the ammonia formed is a weak base, it can react with the water
- and so the reaction is slightly reversible. That means that, again, most
(but not all) of the the hydroxide ions are removed from the solution.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy