Chem1310IntroductiontophysicalchemistryPart5Buffers.pptVIP

Chem 1310:  Introduction to physical chemistry Part 5: Buffers and solubility Peter H.M. Budzelaar Buffers Water has a very small [H3O+] (10-7). Adding just a little bit of acid or base can change the pH drastically. Add 0.001 M HCl: pH goes from 7 to 3! For many applications this sensitivity is undesirable. One of the best ways to prevent pH swings is buffering: the use of a mixture of a weak acid and its conjugate base (which will be a weak base). Buffers Two important aspects: What will be the resulting pH? What will be the buffer capacity (how much acid/base can be absorbed before the p