BUFFER SOLUTION – LESSON 1

 A buffer solution is a solution in which the pH does not change a lot when
small amounts of acids or alkalis are added

o A buffer solution is used to keep the pH almost constant

o A buffer can consist of a weak acid - conjugate base or a weak

base - conjugate acid

Ethanoic acid & sodium ethanoate as a buffer

 A common buffer solution is an aqueous mixture of ethanoic

acid and sodium ethanoate

 Ethanoic acid, CH3COOH, is a weak acid and partially ionises in solution

to form a relatively low concentration of ethanoate ions, CH3COO–

CH3COOH (aq) H+ (aq) + CH3COO– (aq)

 Sodium ethanoate, CH3COONa, is a salt which fully ionises in solution to

form a relatively high concentration of ethanoate ions, CH3COO–

CH3COONa (a) + aq → Na+ (aq) + CH3COO– (aq)

 There are reserve supplies of the acid (CH3COOH) and its conjugate base
(CH3COO-)

o The buffer solution contains relatively high concentrations of

CH3COOH (due to the ionisation of ethanoic acid) and
CH3COO- (due to the ionisation of sodium ethanoate)

 In the buffer solution, the ethanoic acid is in equilibrium with hydrogen

and ethanoate ions

CH3COOH (aq) H+ (aq) + CH3COO– (aq)

When H+ ions are added:

 The equilibrium position shifts to the left as H+ ions react with

CH3COO– ions to form more CH3COOH until equilibrium is re-established

 As there is a large reserve supply of CH 3COO–, the concentration of

CH3COO– in solution doesn’t change much as it reacts with the added
H+ ions

 As there is a large reserve supply of CH 3COOH, the concentration of

CH3COOH in solution doesn’t change much as CH 3COOH is formed from the
reaction of CH3COO– with H+

 As a result, the pH remains reasonably constant

When OH- ions are added:

 The OH- reacts with H+ to form water

OH- (aq) + H+ (aq) → H2O (l)

  The H+ concentration decreases

 The equilibrium position shifts to the right and more CH 3COOH molecules
ionise to form more H+ and CH3COO- until equilibrium is re-established

CH3COOH (aq) → H+ (aq) + CH3COO- (aq)

 As there is a large reserve supply of CH 3COOH the concentration of

CH3COOH in solution doesn’t change much when CH 3COOH dissociates to
form more H+ ions

 As there is a large reserve supply of CH 3COO- the concentration of

CH3COO- in solution doesn’t change much

 As a result, the pH remains reasonably constant

Uses of buffer solutions in controlling the pH of blood

 In humans, HCO3- ions act as a buffer to keep the blood pH between 7.35
and 7.45

 Body cells produce CO2 during aerobic respiration

 This CO2 will combine with water in the blood to form a solution containing
H+ ions

CO2 (g) + H2O (l) ⇌ H+ (aq) + HCO3- (aq)

 This equilibrium between CO2 and HCO3- is extremely important

 If the concentration of H+ ions is not regulated, the blood pH would drop

and cause ‘acidosis’

o Acidosis refers to a condition in which there is too much acid in the

body fluids such as blood

o This could cause body malfunctioning and eventually lead to coma

 If there is an increase in H+ ions

 The equilibrium position shifts to the left until equilibrium is restored

CO2 (g) + H2O (l) → H+ (aq) + HCO3- (aq)

 This reduces the concentration of H+ and keeps the pH of the

blood constant

 If there is a decrease in H+ ions

o The equilibrium position shifts to the right until equilibrium is

restored

CO2 (g) + H2O (l) → H+ (aq) + HCO3- (aq)

 This increases the concentration of H + and keeps the pH of the

blood constant.
Buffer Solution pH Calculations – LESSON 2
 The pH of a buffer solution can be calculated using:

o The Ka of the weak acid

o The equilibrium concentration of the weak acid and its conjugate

base (salt)

 To determine the pH, the concentration of hydrogen ions is needed which

can be found using the equilibrium expression:

Ka =

 This can be rearranged to determine the concentration of hydrogen ions:

[H+] =

 To simplify the calculations, logarithms are used such that the expression
becomes:

–log10 [H+] =

 Since -log10 [H+] = pH and -log10 [Ka] = pKa, the expression can also be
rewritten as:

Worked Example

Calculating the pH of a buffer solution

Calculate the pH of a buffer solution containing 0.305 mol dm -3 ethanoic acid and
0.520 mol dm-3 sodium ethanoate. The Ka of ethanoic acid = 1.43 x 10-5 mol dm-3.

Answer

 Ethanoic acid is a weak acid that ionises as follows:

CH3COOH (aq) ⇌ H+ (aq) + CH3COO- (aq)

 Step 1: Write down the equilibrium expression to find Ka:

Ka =

 Step 2: Rearrange the equation to find [H+]:

[H+] = Ka x

 Step 3: Substitute the values into the expression:

 [H+] = 1.43 x 10-5 x = 8.39 x 10-6 mol dm-3

 Step 4: Calculate the pH:

pH = –log10 [H+] = –log 8.39 x 10-6 = 5.08

PRACTISE QUESTIONS
Question 1
Question 2

Question 3
LESSON 3
The Solubility Product, Ksp
 Solubility is defined as the number of grams or moles of compound
needed to saturate 100 g of water, or it can also be defined in terms of 1 kg
of water, at a given temperature
o For example, sodium chloride (NaCl) is considered to be a soluble salt
as a saturated solution contains 36 g of NaCl per 100 g of water
o Lead chloride (PbCl2) on the other hand is an insoluble salt as a
saturated solution only contains 0.99 g of PbCl 2 per 100 g of water

Solubility product
 The solubility product (Ksp) is:
 The product of the concentrations of each ion in a saturated solution of a
relatively soluble salt
 At 298 K

C (s) ⇌ aAx+ (aq) + bBy- (aq)

 Raised to the power of their relative concentrations

Ksp = [Ax+ (aq)]a [By- (aq)]b

 When an undissolved ionic compound is in contact with a saturated

solution of its ions, an equilibrium is established.
 The ions move from the solid to the saturated solution at the same rate as
they move from the solution to the solid
 For example, the undissolved magnesium chloride (MgCl 2) is in equilibrium

MgCl2 (s) ⇌ Mg2+ (aq) + 2Cl- (aq)

with a saturated solution of its ions

Ions in a saturated solution

When the undissolved MgCl2 salt comes in contact with its ions in a saturated
solution, an equilibrium between the salt and ions is established.

 The solubility product for this equilibrium is:

Ksp = [Mg2+ (aq)] [Cl- (aq)]2
 The Ksp is only useful for sparingly soluble salts
 The smaller the value of Ksp, the lower the solubility of the salt

Ksp Expressions

C (s) ⇌ aAx+ (aq) + bBy- (aq)

 The general equilibrium expression for the solubility product (Ksp) is:

Ksp = [Ax+ (aq)]a [By- (aq)]b

Worked Example
Expressing Ksp of ionic compounds
 Give the equilibrium expressions, including units, for the solubility products of
the following ionic compounds:
1. Ca(OH)2
2. Fe2O3
3. SnCO3
Answer 1 - Ca(OH)2:
 Step 1 - Write the balanced chemical equation:
 Ca(OH)2 (s) Ca2+ (aq) + 2OH– (aq)
 Step 2 - Write the Ksp expression:
 Ksp = [Ca2+ (aq)] [OH– (aq)]2
 Step 3 - Deduce the units:
 Ksp = [mol dm-3] x [mol dm-3]2
 Ksp = [mol dm-3]3
 Ksp = mol3 dm-9
Answer 2 - Fe2O3:
 Step 1 - Write the balanced chemical equation:
 Fe2O3 (s) 2Fe3+ (aq) + 3O2– (aq)
 Step 2 - Write the Ksp expression:
 Ksp = [Fe3+ (aq)]2 [O2– (aq)]3
 Step 3 - Deduce the units:
 Ksp = [mol dm-3]2 x [mol dm-3]3
 Ksp = [mol dm-3]5
 Ksp = mol5 dm-15
Answer 3 - SnCO3:
 Step 1 - Write the balanced chemical equation:
SnCO3 (s) Sn2+ (aq) + CO32– (aq)
 Step 2 - Write the Ksp expression:
o Ksp = [Sn2+ (aq)] [CO32– (aq)]
 Step 3 - Deduce the units:
Ksp = [mol dm-3] x [mol dm-3]
Ksp = [mol dm-3]2
Ksp = mol2 dm-6

Practise Questions
Question 1

Question 2
Question 3

Question 4