{"id":7634,"date":"2021-06-08T21:57:07","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T21:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/introductorychemistry\/chapter\/buffers\/"},"modified":"2021-10-06T23:07:26","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T23:07:26","slug":"buffers","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/introductorychemistry\/chapter\/buffers\/","title":{"raw":"Buffers","rendered":"Buffers"},"content":{"raw":"[latexpage]\r\n
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Learning Objectives<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

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  1. Define buffer<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Correctly identify the two components of a buffer.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nAs indicated in the section \"Strong and Weak Acids and Bases and Their Salts\"<\/a>, weak acids are relatively common, even in the foods we eat. But we occasionally encounter a strong acid or base, such as stomach acid, which has a strongly acidic pH of 1.7. By definition, strong acids and bases can produce a relatively large amount of H+<\/sup> or OH\u2212<\/sup> ions and consequently have marked chemical activities. In addition, very small amounts of strong acids and bases can change the pH of a solution very quickly. If 1 mL of stomach acid [approximated as 0.1 M HCl(aq)] were added to the bloodstream and no correcting mechanism were present, the pH of the blood would decrease from about 7.4 to about 4.7 \u2014 a pH that is not conducive to continued living. Fortunately, the body has a mechanism for minimizing such dramatic pH changes.\r\n\r\nThe mechanism involves a buffer<\/strong>, a solution that resists dramatic changes in pH. Buffers do so by being composed of certain pairs of solutes: either a weak acid plus a salt derived from that weak acid or a weak base plus a salt of that weak base. For example, a buffer can be composed of dissolved HC2<\/sub>H3<\/sub>O2<\/sub> (a weak acid) and NaC2<\/sub>H3<\/sub>O2<\/sub> (the salt derived from that weak acid). Another example of a buffer is a solution containing NH3<\/sub> (a weak base) and NH4<\/sub>Cl (a salt derived from that weak base).\r\n\r\nLet us use an HC2<\/sub>H3<\/sub>O2<\/sub>\/NaC2<\/sub>H3<\/sub>O2<\/sub> buffer to demonstrate how buffers work. If a strong base \u2014 a source of OH\u2212<\/sup>(aq) ions \u2014 is added to the buffer solution, those OH\u2212<\/sup> ions will react with the HC2<\/sub>H3<\/sub>O2<\/sub> in an acid-base reaction:\r\n

    [latex]\\ce{HC2H3O2(aq)}+\\ce{OH-(aq)}\\rightarrow \\ce{H2O(\\ell)}+\\ce{C2H3O2-(aq)}[\/latex]<\/p>\r\nRather than changing the pH dramatically by making the solution basic, the added OH\u2212<\/sup> ions react to make H2<\/sub>O, so the pH does not change much.\r\n\r\nIf a strong acid \u2014 a source of H+<\/sup> ions \u2014 is added to the buffer solution, the H+<\/sup> ions will react with the anion from the salt. Because HC2<\/sub>H3<\/sub>O2<\/sub> is a weak acid, it is not ionized much. This means that if lots of H+<\/sup> ions and C2<\/sub>H3<\/sub>O2<\/sub>\u2212<\/sup> ions are present in the same solution, they will come together to make HC2<\/sub>H3<\/sub>O2<\/sub>:\r\n

    [latex]\\ce{H+(aq)}+\\ce{C2H3O2-(aq)}\\rightarrow \\ce{HC2H3O2(aq)}[\/latex]<\/p>\r\nRather than changing the pH dramatically and making the solution acidic, the added H+<\/sup> ions react to make molecules of a weak acid. Figure 12.2 \"The Actions of Buffers\" illustrates both actions of a buffer.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7632\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"600\"]\"\" Figure 12.2 \"The Actions of Buffers.\" Buffers can react with both strong acids (top) and strong bases (side) to minimize large changes in pH.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nBuffers made from weak bases and salts of weak bases act similarly. For example, in a buffer containing NH3<\/sub> and NH4<\/sub>Cl, NH3<\/sub> molecules can react with any excess H+<\/sup> ions introduced by strong acids:\r\n

    [latex]\\ce{NH3(aq)}+\\ce{H+(aq)}\\rightarrow \\ce{NH4+(aq)}[\/latex]<\/p>\r\nwhile the NH4<\/sub>+<\/sup>(aq) ion can react with any OH\u2212<\/sup> ions introduced by strong bases:\r\n

    [latex]\\ce{NH4+(aq)}+\\ce{OH-(aq)}\\rightarrow \\ce{NH3(aq)}+\\ce{H2O(\\ell)}[\/latex]<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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    Example 12.12<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

    \r\n\r\nWhich combinations of compounds can make a buffer solution?\r\n
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    1. HCHO2<\/sub> and NaCHO2<\/sub><\/li>\r\n \t
    2. HCl and NaCl<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. CH3<\/sub>NH2<\/sub> and CH3<\/sub>NH3<\/sub>Cl<\/li>\r\n \t
    4. NH3<\/sub> and NaOH<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nSolution<\/em>\r\n
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      1. HCHO2<\/sub> is formic acid, a weak acid, while NaCHO2<\/sub> is the salt made from the anion of the weak acid (the formate ion [CHO2<\/sub>\u2212<\/sup>]). The combination of these two solutes would make a buffer solution.<\/li>\r\n \t
      2. HCl is a strong acid, not a weak acid, so the combination of these two solutes would not make a buffer solution.<\/li>\r\n \t
      3. CH3<\/sub>NH2<\/sub> is methylamine, which is like NH3<\/sub> with one of its H atoms substituted with a CH3<\/sub> group. Because it is not listed in Table 12.1 \"Strong Acids and Bases\"<\/a>, we can assume that it is a weak base. The compound CH3<\/sub>NH3<\/sub>Cl is a salt made from that weak base, so the combination of these two solutes would make a buffer solution.<\/li>\r\n \t
      4. NH3<\/sub> is a weak base, but NaOH is a strong base. The combination of these two solutes would not make a buffer solution.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nTest Yourself<\/em>\r\nWhich combinations of compounds can make a buffer solution?\r\n
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        1. NaHCO3<\/sub> and NaCl<\/li>\r\n \t
        2. H3<\/sub>PO4<\/sub> and NaH2<\/sub>PO4<\/sub><\/li>\r\n \t
        3. NH3<\/sub> and (NH4<\/sub>)3<\/sub>PO4<\/sub><\/li>\r\n \t
        4. NaOH and NaCl<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nAnswers<\/em>\r\n
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          1. no<\/li>\r\n \t
          2. yes<\/li>\r\n \t
          3. yes<\/li>\r\n \t
          4. no<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nBuffers work well only for limited amounts of added strong acid or base. Once either solute is completely reacted, the solution is no longer a buffer, and rapid changes in pH may occur. We say that a buffer has a certain capacity<\/strong>. Buffers that have more solute dissolved in them to start with have larger capacities, as might be expected.\r\n\r\nHuman blood has a buffering system to minimize extreme changes in pH. One buffer in blood is based on the presence of HCO3<\/sub>\u2212<\/sup> and H2<\/sub>CO3<\/sub> [the second compound is another way to write CO2<\/sub>(aq)]. With this buffer present, even if some stomach acid were to find its way directly into the bloodstream, the change in the pH of blood would be minimal. Inside many of the body\u2019s cells, there is a buffering system based on phosphate ions.\r\n
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            Food and Drink App: The Acid That Eases Pain<\/h1>\r\nAlthough medicines are not exactly \u201cfood and drink,\u201d we do ingest them, so let\u2019s take a look at an acid that is probably the most common medicine: acetylsalicylic acid, also known as aspirin. Aspirin is well known as a pain reliever and antipyretic (fever reducer).\r\n\r\nThe structure of aspirin is shown in the accompanying figure. The acid part is circled; it is the H atom in that part that can be donated as aspirin acts as a Br\u00f8nsted-Lowry acid. Because it is not given in Table 12.1 \"Strong Acids and Bases\"<\/a>, acetylsalicylic acid is a weak acid. However, it is still an acid, and given that some people consume relatively large amounts of aspirin daily, its acidic nature can cause problems in the stomach lining, despite the stomach\u2019s defenses against its own stomach acid.\r\n\r\n\"Aspirin\"\r\n\r\nBecause the acid properties of aspirin may be problematic, many aspirin brands offer a \u201cbuffered aspirin\u201d form of the medicine. In these cases, the aspirin also contains a buffering agent \u2014 usually MgO \u2014 that regulates the acidity of the aspirin to minimize its acidic side effects.\r\n\r\nAs useful and common as aspirin is, it was formally marketed as a drug starting in 1899. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the governmental agency charged with overseeing and approving drugs in the United States, wasn\u2019t formed until 1906. Some have argued that if the FDA had been formed before aspirin was introduced, aspirin may never have gotten approval due to its potential for side effects \u2014 gastrointestinal bleeding, ringing in the ears, Reye\u2019s syndrome (a liver problem), and some allergic reactions. However, recently aspirin has been touted for its effects in lessening heart attacks and strokes, so it is likely that aspirin is here to stay.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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            Key Takeaways<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

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