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composition and action of buffered solutions
**what are buffers**
**There are ~ 96,000 km of blood vessels (arteries, veins and**
**capillaries) in your body. This is enough to stretch almost 2.5 times around the equator!**
(when u think buffer think Henderson hasselbalch)
**what are buffers?**
Buffers are **chemical equilibrium systems** /solutions where the pH varies only slightly when a small amount of acid or base is added to it.
A buffer solution usually contains equal quantities of typically a *weak acid* & its *conjugate base.*
\ a lot more bicarbonate anion relative to carbonic acid, this is bc be produce much more side products bc of metabolism. but normally good buffers have same amt of weak acid and conjugate base so that no matter what drops in it it can resolve.
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some acid-base pairs that can be used in buffer systems:
carbonic acid
**carbonic acid
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__**The Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation**__ **relates the [buffer mixture] to the pH of the solution**
**pH = pKa + log conjugate base/ weak acid**
It is a very useful equation for calculating the concentrations required in order to prepare a buffer of a certain pH.
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to obtain the pKa of an acid
**if u have a solution containing equal quantities of weak acid and base, if u measure pH of solution it will give u pKa of ur weak acid!! When the pH = pKa then u have equal concentration of ur weak acid and conjugate base**
\ Ka of weak base is so small bc dissociation is small.
\ instead of giving us 2 separate beakers w sodium salt and CH3COOH, we get ONE beaker and a strong base - sodium hydroxide. understand how much sodium hydroxide should I force onto any weak acid to half neutralize it
start w 100mls of weak acid add 50mls of strong base to get equal parts weak acid to **conjugate base**
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what are some situations using Henderson hasselbalch
will only ever be given a question w only one missing variable
1. **Know [H2CO3] and [HCO3-]**
Know Ka \[H2CO3\] →pKa
you can work out pH
pH = pKa + log conjugate base/weak acid
CO2 + H2O
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is there a perfect buffer system? there kind of is isn’t there. obvi the higher the concentration the greater its capacity but it is good
Buffer capacity and pH
the best buffering occurs when the \[acid\] = \[conjugate base\]
HA
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Major buffer systems in the human body - bicarbonate buffer
how do buffer systems control the pH of blood?
**Blood must be maintained at pH ~7.4 The pH of the** __**blood**__ **is controlled by the bicarbonate buffer system**
CO2 + H2O
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**May 2001**
**Calculate the pH of the following solutions:**
(i) **A 0.3 M solution of lactic acid (Ka is 8.4 x 10- 4)**
(ii) **A solution that is equimolar in lactic acid and** \n **sodium lactate**