CHEM 1A Chapter Notes - Chapter 16: Reaction Quotient, Weak Base, Amphoterism
Document Summary
Buffers: solutions that resist ph change (p. 754) Buffer effectiveness: buffer range and buffer capacity (p. 765) Solubility equilibria and the solubility product constant (p. 783) Key concepts: the dangers of antifreeze (16. 1) Although buffers closely regulate the ph of mammalian blood, the capacity of these buffers to neutralize can be overwhelmed. Ethylene glycol, the main component of antifreeze, is metabolized by the liver into glycolic acid. The resulting acidity can exceed the buffering capacity of blood and cause acidosis, a serious condition that results in oxygen deprivation: buffers: solutions that resist ph change (16. 2) Buffers contain significant amounts of both a weak acid and its conjugate base (or a weak base and its conjugate acid), enabling the buffer to neutralize added acid or added base. Adding a small amount of acid to a buffer converts a stoichiometric amount of base to the conjugate acid.
