Acid Base, Buffer Basic

Acid, Base & Salts
Acid: The substance that yields/donates proton (H+) in

solution called acid. (West & Todd; pg: 21)
Properties of Acid:
1) It donates proton (H+) in solution.
2) It is sour to taste.
3) It turns blue litmus to red.
4) It can react with an alkali and give rise to salt and
water.
Common examples of acids include hydrochloric acid
(HCl), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), acetic acid (CH3COOH), and
citric acid (found in citrus fruits).
Base: The substance that accepts proton (H +) from solution
called base (West & Todd; pg: 21)
Properties of Base:
1) It accepts proton (H+) from solution.
2) It is bitter in taste.
3) It is water soluble
4) It turns red litmus to blue.
Example: HCO3-, Cl-

Strong and Weak Acid
Strong Acid: The acids which dissociate quickly and near
completely in solution.
Example: HCl, H2SO4, HNO3. [Strong acid has weak
conjugate base]
Weak Acid: Those acids which dissociate

partially/incompletely in solution.
Example: Carbonic acid (H2CO3), Acetic Acid (CH3-COOH),
Citric Acid.
[Weak acid has strong conjugate base]
Differences Between Strong and Weak Acid
Strong Acid Weak Acid

1) Dissociate quickly and completely. 1) Dissociate partially.
2) Can give rise more proton. 2) Can give less proton in solution.
3) It has weak conjugate base. 3) It has strong conjugate base.
4) Strong neutralizer of base. 4) Weak neutralizer of base.
5) Irreversible Chemical reaction: 5) Reversible Chemical reaction:

HNO3 H+ + NO3 - H3PO4 H + + H2PO4 -
6) Usually these are inorganic acid. 6) Usually these are organic acid.
Example: HCl, H2SO4, HNO3. Example: H2CO3, CH3-COOH
Conjugate Base, Strong Base
Conjugate Base: a conjugate base is a substance formed

by the removal of a proton from an acid.
Strong Base: a chemical compound that can react very

powerfully with H+ in the solution. HCO3 –
[Strong acid has weak conjugate base]
[Weak acid has strong conjugate base]

Alkali
Alkali: Metallic hydroxide which donates OH- ion in
solution.
Example: NaOH, KOH etc.
Properties:
1) Dissociate to form metallic ion and hydroxyl ion (OH-)

in aqueous solution.
2) Soluble in water.
3) Converts red litmus into blue.
4) Produce salt and water with acid.

Differences between Acid & Alkali
Acid Alkali
1) Produce H+ in water. 1) Produce OH- in water.
2) Produce salt and water reacting 2) Produce salt and water reacting
with alkali. with acid.
3) Converts blue litmus into red. 3) Converts red litmus into blue.
Differences between base and alkali
Base Alkali
1) It can accepts proton (H+) 1) It can not accepts proton (H+)
From solution. From solution.
2) It can not yields/donates 2) It can yields/donates (OH-)
(OH-) ion in solution. Ion in solution.
Example: HCO3-, Cl-. Example: NaOH, KOH

Acids produced in our body
A) Volatile acids: CO2
B) Non volatile acids-
a) H2SO4: Comes from sullfer containing amino acids
(Cysteine, Methionine)
b) HCl: Comes from basic amino acids (Lysine, arginine
and histidine)
c) H3PO4: Comes from phosphoproteins,

phospholipids, nucleic acids.
Who eats diet rich in animal protein-urine is acidic.

 Who eats vegan diet-urine is alkaline.
pH
The term pH was introduced by Sorenson in 1909.
The “p” stands for potential and the “H” stands for
Hydrogen.
Def: The pH of a solution is defined as the negative

logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. [expressed as
mols/L.]
Decrease of one pH means ten (10) fold increase in H+

activities.
pH = - log [H+]
To calculate the pH of a solution:
1) Calculate hydrogen ion concentration, [H+]
2) Calculate the base 10 logarithm of [H+].
3) pH is the negative of the value found in

step2.
Example
Suppose, H+ concentration is .0000001 g mol per
liter.
So, [H+] = .0000001
= 1 X 10-7
or, - [H+] = -1 X 10-7
or, pH = - (-7) X 100
=7X1
=7
Example
What is the pH of a solution whose hydrogen
ion concentration is 3.2 X 10-4 mol/L?
pH = -log [H+]
= -log (3.2 X 10-4)
= -log (3.2) – log (10-4)
= -0.5 + 4.0
= 3.5
Importance of pH
• Most enzymatic reactions occurs at optimum pH .
• Optimum pH is essential for body homeostasis.
• Optimum pH: The pH level at which a specific

chemical or enzymatic reaction occurs most
effectively is called optimum pH.
pK
pk is defined as the negative logarithm of ionization or
dissociation constant of a weak acid. Teitz:733
• The pk is the pH at which an acid is half dissociated,

existing as equal proportions of acid and conjugate
base.
• Acids have pk value <7.0 and bases have > 7.0.
• Lower the pk value stronger the acid and higher the pk

value stronger the conjugate base.
pH Scale
pH Scale is the range of pH that covers the practical range
of acidity and alkalinity of available solutions.
pH Scale is between 0 and 14 (0 ~ 14)

1) pH “0” indicates pure acid.
2) pH “14” indicates pure alkali.
pH range: 0 – 14
* At 25oC temperature pH of water is 7 and 7 is the neutral
pH.
Properties of pH Scale
10-1 10-2 10-3 10-4 10-5 10-6 10-7 10-8 10-9 10-10 10-11 10-12 10-13 10-14
ACIDIC BASIC
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1) Hydrogen ion concentration can not be zero.

2) The scale is between 0 – 14.
3) More [H+] less is the pH and vice versa.
4) [H+] and [OH-] depend on each other.
5) Variation of pH scale by 1 unit means ten times
variations in [H+].
pH of substance In
our daily use
pH of a Solution is 7
When pH of a solution is 7, it means that:

1) The solution contains 10-7 mol/L of [H+].
2) The solution is water.
3) The solution is neutral.
Buffer
Buffer is a mixture of weak acid with its strong conjugate
base that can resists the change of pH of a solution up to a
certain limit even after addition of moderate amount of
new acid or alkali in the solution.
Body Buffer Systems:
1) Body fluid Buffer systems:
a) Buffer in plasma:
I. Bicarboonate buffer (HCO3-/ H2CO3)
II.Phosphate buffer (HPO4--/ H2PO4-)

III.Plasma protein buffer (Pr-/ HPr)
b) Buffer in RBC
i) Bicarbonate buffer (HCO3-/ H2CO3)
ii) Haemoglobin buffer (Hb- / HHb)
iii) Phosphate buffer (HPO4--/ H2PO4-)
c) Buffer in Extracellular fluid (ECF):
i) Bicarbonate buffer (Most important buffer)
ii) Protein buffer (Pr-/ HPr)
d) Buffer in Intracellular fluid (ICF):

i) Bicarbonate buffer (HCO3-/ H2CO3)
ii) Tissue protein buffer
2) Respiratory buffer system:
a) Bicarbonate buffer
b) Oxidized and reduced haemoglobin buffer (HbO 2-/HHbO2)
3) Kidney buffer system:

a) Phosphate buffer (HPO4--/ H2PO4-)
b) Ammonium buffer (NH3/NH4-)
c) Bicarbonate buffer (HCO3-/ H2CO3)

4)Bone buffer systems :Hydroxy appatite &
phosphate buffer.
Mechanism of action of buffers/
How buffer system act
1.Buffer convert strong acid into a weak acid.
2. Buffer converts strong alkali into neutral salt &

water.
Example:
A) If strong acid (HCl) is added to bicarbonate buffer systems
(NaHCO3 / H2CO3), the base part (HCO3-) of the buffer pair will react
with the acid and form neutral salt & H2CO3 (Carbonic acid) (weak
acid).
HCl + NaHCO3 NaCl + H2CO3
B) If strong alkali (NaOH) is added to bicarbonate buffer systems

(NaHCO3 / H2CO3), then the acid part of buffer react with alkali and the
buffer converts strong NaOH into neutral salt NaHCO3 & water.
NaOH + H2CO3 NaHCO3 + H2O
Buffering Capacity
• The amount of acid or alkali required to produce one
unit change of pH of the solution is called the buffering
capacity.
• Buffer capacity is defined as the number of moles of acid

or base that have to be added to 1 liter buffer solution to
cause its pH to change by 1 unit.
Buffering capacity depends on :
1) pK of the buffer (maximum, when pK = pH, half

neutralization). pK value should be close to pH.
2) Directly proportional to the molar concentration of the

buffer components.
3) Salt : acid ratio: Buffers act best at salt/acid ratio within

the range 10 :1.
Amount of buffer in Blood:
Bicarbonate: 55% (Plasma > RBC),
Hb: 35% (RBC),
Protein: 5% (Plasma),
Phosphate: 5% (RBC > Plasma)
The Three-tier Defense in the body

Body defense mechanism against change of pH
First line defense:
1) Body fluid buffer system: Can prevent excessive
changes of H+ concentration within seconds.
2) Respiratory system: Acts within minutes (1 ~ 15

minutes) to 6 ~ 8 hours by eliminating or retention of
CO2.
Second line of defense:
3) Renal system: Kidney acts within hours (through
excretion of H+) and complete within 2-4 days (Several
hours to several days).

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Acid, Base & Salts

Acid: The substance that yields/donates proton (H+) in

1) It accepts proton (H+) from solution.

4) It turns red litmus to blue.

Example: HCO3-, Cl-

Weak Acid: Those acids which dissociate

Strong Acid Weak Acid

3) It has weak conjugate base. 3) It has strong conjugate base.

4) Strong neutralizer of base. 4) Weak neutralizer of base.

5) Irreversible Chemical reaction: 5) Reversible Chemical reaction:

Conjugate Base: a conjugate base is a substance formed

Strong Base: a chemical compound that can react very

[Strong acid has weak conjugate base]

[Weak acid has strong conjugate base]

1) Dissociate to form metallic ion and hydroxyl ion (OH-)

3) Converts red litmus into blue.

4) Produce salt and water with acid.

From solution. From solution.

2) It can not yields/donates 2) It can yields/donates (OH-)

(OH-) ion in solution. Ion in solution.

Example: HCO3-, Cl-. Example: NaOH, KOH

c) H3PO4: Comes from phosphoproteins,

Who eats diet rich in animal protein-urine is acidic.

Def: The pH of a solution is defined as the negative

Decrease of one pH means ten (10) fold increase in H+

1) Calculate hydrogen ion concentration, [H+]

2) Calculate the base 10 logarithm of [H+].

3) pH is the negative of the value found in

= -log (3.2 X 10-4)

= -log (3.2) – log (10-4)

• Most enzymatic reactions occurs at optimum pH .

• Optimum pH is essential for body homeostasis.

• Optimum pH: The pH level at which a specific

• The pk is the pH at which an acid is half dissociated,

• Acids have pk value <7.0 and bases have > 7.0.

• Lower the pk value stronger the acid and higher the pk

pH Scale is between 0 and 14 (0 ~ 14)

1) Hydrogen ion concentration can not be zero.

When pH of a solution is 7, it means that:

II.Phosphate buffer (HPO4--/ H2PO4-)

d) Buffer in Intracellular fluid (ICF):

3) Kidney buffer system:

b) Ammonium buffer (NH3/NH4-)

c) Bicarbonate buffer (HCO3-/ H2CO3)

1.Buffer convert strong acid into a weak acid.

2. Buffer converts strong alkali into neutral salt &

B) If strong alkali (NaOH) is added to bicarbonate buffer systems

• Buffer capacity is defined as the number of moles of acid

1) pK of the buffer (maximum, when pK = pH, half

2) Directly proportional to the molar concentration of the

3) Salt : acid ratio: Buffers act best at salt/acid ratio within

The Three-tier Defense in the body

2) Respiratory system: Acts within minutes (1 ~ 15

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