Acid-base chemistry, buffer systems and application to

living systems. Henderson equation application.

Introduction of terms used to describe acid-base
disorders in the body, acidaemia, alkalaemia, acidosis
and alkalosis.
BY

Dr. A. A. Salawu(MB;ChB, FMCPath)

 What is an acid?
 An acid is a solution that has an excess of
H+ ions. Acid is a substance that can
donate a proton
 It comes from the Latin word acidus that
means "sharp" or "sour".
 The more H + ions, the more acidic the
solution.
Properties of an Acid
• Tastes Sour
• Conduct Electricity
• Corrosive, which means they break down certain
substances. Many acids can corrode fabric, skin, and
paper
• Some acids react strongly with metals
• Turns blue litmus paper red
Uses of Acids
• Acetic Acid = Vinegar
• Citric Acid = lemons, limes, & oranges. It is in many
sour candies such as lemonhead & sour patch.
• Ascorbic acid = Vitamin C which your body needs to
function.
• Sulfuric acid is used in the production of fertilizers,
steel, paints, and plastics.
• Car batteries
What is a base?
• A base is a solution that has an excess of OH- ions.
• Base is a substance that can accept a proton.
• Another word for base is alkali.
• Bases are substances that can accept hydrogen ions
Properties of a Base
• Feel Slippery
• Taste Bitter
• Corrosive
• Can conduct electricity. (Think alkaline batteries.)
• Do not react with metals.
• Turns red litmus paper blue.
Uses of Bases
• Bases give soaps, ammonia, and many other cleaning
products some of their useful properties.
• The OH- ions interact strongly with certain substances,
such as dirt and grease.
• Chalk and oven cleaner are examples of familiar
products that contain bases.
• Your blood is a basic solution
pH Scale
• pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a solution is.
• The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14.
• Acidic solutions have pH values below 7
• A solution with a pH of 0 is very acidic.
• A solution with a pH of 7 is neutral.
• Pure water has a pH of 7.
• Basic solutions have pH values above 7.
pH Scale
• A change of 1 pH unit represents a tenfold change in
the acidity of the solution.
• For example, if one solution has a pH of 1 and a
second solution has a pH of 2, the first solution is not
twice as acidic as the second—it is ten times more
acidic.
Acid – Base Reactions
A reaction between an acid and a base is called
neutralization. An acid-base mixture is not as acidic or
basic as the individual starting solutions.
Acid-Base Buffers
• An acid-base buffer is a solution that lessens the
impact of pH from the addition of acid or base.
• An acid-base buffer usually consists of a conjugate
acid-base pair where both species are present in
appreciable quantities in solution.
• An acid-base buffer is therefore a solution of a weak
acid and its conjugate base, or a weak base and its
conjugate acid.
Buffers and the Common-ion Effect
• A buffer works through the common-ion effect.
• Acetic acid in water dissociates slightly to produce
some acetate ion:
CH3COOH(aq) + H2O(l) CH3COO-(aq) + H3O+(aq)
acetic acid acetate ion
If NaCH3COO is added, it provides a source of
CH3COO- ion, and the equilibrium shifts to the left.
CH3COO- is common to both solutions.
 The addition of CH3COO- reduces the % dissociation
of the acid.
How a Buffer Works
• The buffer components (HA and A-) are able to consume
small amounts of added OH- or H3O+ by a shift in
equilibrium position.
CH3COOH(aq) + H2O(l) -
CH3COO (aq) + H3O (aq)
+

Added OH- reacts with Added H3O+ reacts with

CH3COOH, causing a shift to CH3COO-, causing a
the right. shift to the left.

• The shift in equilibrium position absorbs the change in

[H3O+] or [OH-], and the pH changes only slightly.
Relative Concentrations of Buffer
Components
CH3COOH(aq) + H2O(l) CH3COO-(aq) + H3O+(aq)

[CH3COO-][H3O+] [CH3COOH]
Ka = [H3O ] = Ka x
+

[CH3COOH] [CH3COO-]

Since Ka is constant, the [H3O+] of the solution depends

on the ratio of buffer component concentrations.
If the ratio increases, [H3O+] decreases.

If the ratio decreases, [H3O+] increases.

Calculating the Effect of Added H3O+ or OH- on Buffer pH

(a) Of a buffer solution consisting of 0.50 M CH3COOH and 0.50 M

CH3COONa
(b) After adding 0.020 mol of solid NaOH to 1.0 L of the buffer
solution
(c) After adding 0.020 mol of HCl to 1.0 L of the buffer solution in (a).
Ka of CH3COOH = 1.8 x 10-5. (Assume the additions cause a negligible
change in volume.)
PLAN: We can calculate [CH3COOH]init and [CH3COO ]init from the given
-

information. From this we can find the starting pH. For (b) and (c) we assume that
the added OH- or H3O+ reacts completely with the buffer components. We write a
balanced equation in each case, set up a reaction table, and calculate the new
[H3O+].
SOLUTION:
Concentration (M) CH3COOH(aq) + H2O(l) CH3COO-(aq) + H3O+(aq)
Initial 0.50 - 0.50 0
Change −x - +x +x

Equilibrium 0.50 - x - 0.50 + x x

Since Ka is small, x is small, so we assume
[CH3COOH] = 0.50 – x ≈ 0.50 M and [CH3COO-] = 0.50 + x ≈ 0.50 M
[CH3COOH] 0.50
K
x = [H3O ] = a
+ x ≈ 1.8x10 -5
x = 1.8x10-5 M
[CH3COO-] 0.50

Checking the assumption: pH = -log(1.8x10-5) = 4.74

1.8x10-5 M x 100 = 3.6x10-3% (< 5%; assumption is justified.)

0.50 M
The Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation
HA(aq) + H2O(l) A-(aq) + H3O+(aq)

[H3O+][A-] [HA]
Ka = [H3O ] = Ka x
+
[A-]
[HA]
[HA]
-log[H3O+] = -logKa – log [A-]

[base]
pH = pKa + log
[acid]
Buffer Capacity
• The buffer capacity is a measure of the “strength” of
the buffer, its ability to maintain the pH following
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.
The relation between buffer capacity and pH change.
When strong base is
added, the pH increases
least for the most
concentrated buffer.

This graph shows the final pH values for four different buffer solutions
after the addition of strong base.
Buffer Range
• The buffer range is the pH range over which the
buffer is effective.
• Buffer range is related to the ratio of buffer component
concentrations.
[HA]
The closer is to 1, the more effective the buffer.
[A ]
-

• If one component is more than 10 times the other,

buffering action is poor. Since log10 = 1, buffers have
a usable range within ± 1 pH unit of the pKa of the
acid component.
Preparing a Buffer
• Choose the conjugate acid-base pair.
• The pKa of the weak acid component should be close to the
desired pH.
• Calculate the ratio of buffer component concentrations.
[base]
pH = pKa + log
[acid]

• Determine the buffer concentration, and calculate the

required volume of stock solutions and/or masses of
components.
• Mix the solution and correct the pH.
Preparing a Buffer
PROBLEM : An environmental chemist needs a carbonate buffer of pH 10.00 to
study the effects of the acid rain on limsetone-rich soils. How many grams of
Na2CO3 must she add to 1.5 L of freshly prepared 0.20 M NaHCO3 to make the
buffer? Ka of HCO3- is 4.7x10-11.
PLAN: The conjugate pair is HCO3- (acid) and CO32- (base), and we know both
the buffer volume and the concentration of HCO3-. We can calculate the ratio of
components that gives a pH of 10.00, and hence the mass of Na2CO3 that must
be added to make 1.5 L of solution.
SOLUTION:
[H3O+] = 10-pH = 10-10.00 = 1.0x10-10 M
[CO32-][H3O+]
HCO3-(aq) + H2O(l) H3O+(aq) + CO32-(aq) Ka =
[HCO3-]
Preparing a Buffer
Ka[HCO3-] (4.7x10-11)(0.20)
[CO32-] = = = 0.094 M
[H3O+] 1.0x10 -10
0.094 mol CO32-
Amount (mol) of CO32- needed = 1.5 L soln x
1 L soln

= 0.14 mol CO32-

105.99 g Na2CO3
0.14 mol Na2CO3 x = 15 g Na2CO3
1 mol Na2CO3

The chemist should dissolve 15 g Na2CO3 in about 1.3 L of 0.20 M

NaHCO3 and add more 0.20 M NaHCO3 to make 1.5 L. Using a pH
meter, she can then adjust the pH to 10.00 by dropwise addition of
concentrated strong acid or base.
VARIOUS BUFFER SYSTEMS IN THE
BODY
Definitions
•Acidaemia: An elevated H+ ion activity in the blood
• Acidosis: process that lowers the extracellular fluid pH
(reduction in HCO3 or elevation in pCO2)
• Metabolic acidosis: low pH and low HCO3
• Respiratory acidosis: low pH and high pCO2
• Alkalaemia: An elevated OH- ion concentration in the
blood.
• Alkalosis: process that raises extracellular pH (elevation in
HCO3 or fall in pCO2)
ACID BASE HOMEOSTASIS
• At cellular level
• At Respiratory level
• At the kidney level