BUFFERS
STRONG ACIDS or STRONG BASES!!! Strong
 A buffer is something that resists change.
 A buffer solution (in terms of acid and base
chemistry) tends to resist change in pH when small
to moderate amounts of a strong acid or strong base
are added. It consists of a mixture of a weak acid
and conjugate base, or a solution of a weak base and
one of its salts.
 When an acid or base is added
 To water, the pH changes drastically.

 To a buffer solution, the pH is maintained; pH
does not change.
MAKING BUFFER SOLUTIONS
 An example of a weak acid is ethanoic acid. This
could be mixed with sodium ethanoate which will
provide ethanoate ions (conjugate base).
 An example of weak base is ammonia. This could be
mixed with an ammonium chloride to provide
ammonium ions (conjugate acid.
 In order for a buffer to work well the concentration
of the acid/base and its salt must be much higher
than the strong acid/base added.
TYPES OF BUFFER SOLUTIONS
 NOTE: Buffers CANNOT be prepared using any
acids and bases are too reactive, and will not remain
in an equilibrium mixture. They will react.
BUFFER SOLUTIONS
 A buffer solution (a buffer)
 Resists a change in pH on addition of small
amounts of an acid or base, it absorbs the
change in acidity,
 Serves to maitain a fairly constant pH value.
 A small amount of an acid added to water
result in large drop in pH.
 If a buffer is present, the decrease in pH will
be much smaller.
 Simple buffer solutions are mixtures of :
 A weak acid and the conjugate base of that or a
weak base and its conjugate acid.
 Both components should be present at
approximately equal (at least at comparable)
concentartions.
 Examples:
 acetic acid / sodium acetate
 ammonia/ammonium chloride
 sodium dihydrogen phosphate/hydrogen
phosphate
WHAT IS HOMEOSTASIS?
 If your body is in homeostasis, everything inyour
body is balanced, and internal conditions remain
stable and relatively constant. Our bodies do many
things to keep us in homeostasis.
WHY IS HOMEOSTASIS IMPORTANT?
 Enzyme Activity- Enzyme best over a specific range
of conditions. By maintaing pH and temperature in
the body and all enzyme-linked reactions proceed
efficiently.
 Cell size- Changes in water potential of the blood
will affect the amount of water in tissue fluid and
cells. This could cause animal cells to desicate, or
swell burst.
 Independence from external conditions- Animals
without constant internal environment can maintain
a constant level of activity regardless of their
environment.
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF HOMEOSTASIS
MAINTENANCE IN HUMANS?
 Temperature Regulation
 Blood Sugar Regulation
 Oxygen level Regulation
 Waste Removal
ACID-BASE REGULATION
 The regulation of acid-base balance is concerning the
proper blance between chemical acids and bases in
the extracellular fluids (which includes the blood
plasma). Acid-base regulation is also called Body pH
 The body is very sensitive to its pH level otherwise
outside the acceptable range of pH, proteins are
denatured and digested, enzymes lose their ability to
function, and death may occur.
 The body’s acid-base balance is normally tightly
regulated by buffering agents, the respiratory
system, and renal system, keeping the blood pH
between 7.35 to 7.45.
 Nusrese require a good knowledge of the normal
body mechanisms which regulates the acid-base
balance because many ill patients have damaged
respiratory, renal and/or metabolic functions.
BUFFER SYSTEMS IN BODY FLUIDS
TIME COURSE OF pH REGULATION
 Various regulators of hydrogen ion concentration
oprate at different rates
 Acid-base (chemical) buffers function rapidly.
 Respiratory and renal (physiological buffers)
mechanisms function more slowly.
 (Resp.-takes several minutes. Renal- up to 1 to 3
days.)
BLOOD BUFFERS
 Bicarbonate buffers
 Phosphate Buffers
 Protein Buffers (including hemoglobin and
oxyhemoglobin)
BICARBONATE BUFFERS
 Bicarbonate buffer system in the red blood cells
consists of carbonic acid (H2CO3) and potassium
bicarbonate (KHCO3).
 Bicarbonate buffer system in the blood plasma
consists of carbonic acid and sodium bicarbonate
(NaHCO3).
PHOSPHATE AND HEMOGLOBIN BUFFERS
 Phosphate buffers consist of mixtures of K2HPO4
and KH2PO4, which function similarly to the
bicarbonate buffers in neutralizing excess acid and
base.
 Hemoglobin buffers account for more than half of
the total buffering action in the blood. Hemoglobin
and oxyhemoglobin buffers , as well as other
proteins that act as buffers in the bloodstream, pick
up excess acid or base to help keep the pH of the
blood within its normal range.
ACID-BASE BALANCE
 Normal pH range of the blood is 7.35 to 7.45
 Acidosis – when the pH falls below this range
 Alkalosis – when the pH rises above its normal value
 The blood retains its fairly constant pH because of
the presence of buffers, both in the blood plasma
and red blood cells.
 Those in the plasma are primarily sodium
buffers; while those in the blood cells are mainly
potassium buffers.
HEDERSON-HASSELBALCH EQUATION
 The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation describes the
deriviation of pH as a measure of acidity (using pKa,
the acid dissociation constant ) in biological and
chemical systems . The equation is also useful for
estimating the pH of a buffer solution and finding
the equilibrium pH in acid-base reaction (it is widely
used to calculate isoelectric point of the proteins)
HOW DO BUFFERED SOLUTIONS MAINTAIN pH
UNDER VARYING CONDITIONS?
 To calculate the pH of a solution when
acid/base ratio of weak acid is varied:
Henderson-Hasselbalch equation

 Some examples using HH equation:

 What is the pH of a buffer that
contains the following?
o 1 M acetic acid and 0.5 M
sodium acetate.

SAMPLE PROBLEM APPLYING THE HENDERSON –

HASSELBALCH EQUATION :

BUFFER CAPACITY
 The buffer capacity is a measure of the “strength” of
the buffer, its ability to maintain the pH following
the addition of strong acid or base.
 The greater the concentrations of the buffer
components, the greater its capacity to resist pH
changes.
 The closer the component concentrations are to
each other, the greater the buffer capacity.

BUFFERS AND THE HENDERSON-HASSELBALCH

EQUATION
 Many biological processes generate or use H+
 The pH of the medium would change dramatically if
it were not controlled (leading to unwanted effects)
 Biological ractions occur in the buffered medium
where pH changes slightly upod addition of acid or
base.
 Most biologically relevant experiments are run in
buffers.