Buffered

Concept in chemistry and biology

A buffer is a solution that can resist pH change upon the addition of an acidic or basic components. It is able to neutralize small amounts of added acid or base, thus maintaining the pH of the solution relatively stable. This is important for processes and reactions which require specific and stable pH ranges.

Components of a Buffer

A typical buffer solution consists of a weak acid and its conjugate base, or a weak base and its conjugate acid. Common examples include:

• Acetic acid (weak acid) and sodium acetate (conjugate base)
• Ammonium hydroxide (weak base) and ammonium chloride (conjugate acid)

Buffer Capacity

The buffer capacity is a measure of the efficiency of a buffer in resisting pH changes. It depends on the concentration of the acid and its conjugate base (or the base and its conjugate acid) in the buffer solution. The higher the concentration of these components, the greater the buffer capacity.

Applications

Buffers are widely used in various fields:

• In biochemistry, buffers are essential for maintaining the pH of biological systems, such as in enzyme reactions and cell culture.
• In chemical analysis, buffers are used in titration to maintain the pH at a constant value.
• In medicine, buffers are used in pharmaceutical formulations to ensure the stability and efficacy of drugs.

Common Buffer Systems

Some common buffer systems include:

• Phosphate buffer: Used in biological research.
• Tris buffer: Commonly used in molecular biology.
• Citrate buffer: Used in biochemistry and clinical chemistry.

Related Concepts

• pH
• Acid-base reaction
• Buffer solution
• Henderson-Hasselbalch equation

See Also

• Acid
• Base (chemistry)
• pH indicator
• Titration
• Enzyme kinetics

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