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( LAB ACTIVITY 3
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Solutions, pH, and Buffers
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t OBJECTIVES

ll During this lab activity the student will;

t . Learn the concept of the mole and how to make molar solutions.
t . Learn how the dissociation of water molecules causes pH in solutions.
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' Understand the pH scale.
rl . Learn how to measure pH.
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' Understand the inverse relationship between the H'and the OH-concentrations.
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' understand buf rs and why they are important in living organisms.
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rt I ntrod uction
- Solutions consist of a solute dissolved in a solvent. Many scientists need to mix chemicals together
{ in solutions. The standard unit for chemical quantities is the mole. Remember from lecture that 1
{ mole contains 6.02 x 1023 molecules for any particular compound. ln a practical sense, 1 mole of any
compound weighs the same as the molecular weight of the substance in grams. Therefore, j mole
rl of O, would be 32 grams, since the atomic mass of O is 16 and there are two O atoms. The real utility
{ of using moles is that you know how many molecules you have and usually you want each molecule
tlr of one substance to react with one molecule of another substance.

{ Question: ',.,ou wanted 1 mole of NaCl, how many grams would you need?
{ ln oro:'r:c -s: so utions in reactions there is another quantity related to a mole called a molar
{ solution lMr,Al molarsolutioncontains lmoleof asolutedissolvedina l litersolution(add
a enough sc ,,,.nt to bring the totalvolume to 1 liter).

al Describehoivyou',vouldmakel literof alMNaCl solutioninoneortwosentences:

Lab Activity 3| Solutions, pH, and erff.r,

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Question: How many grams of NaCl would you need to make 1 liter of a 0.5 molar solution? _-)
The pH of solutions is determined by the dissociation of water molecules as illustrated below:
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HrO=H*+OH- --,
The proton from a H briefly leaves (dissociates) and the OH (hydroxide) is left by itself. The electron
--,
from the H stays with the OH and gives it a negative charge (OH=). Since the H now has no electron it --,
has a positive charge (H*). This dissociation and subsequent recombination of H* and OH happens -)
in as little as a trillionth of a second. The water molecules in a solution are continuously undergoing
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this dissociation process. Pure water is neutral and has a pH of 7 and the concentrations of Hn and
OH in the solution are equal. The addition of a base or acid changes this balance or equilibrium. lf
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an acid such as HCI is added to a solution it provides more H* ions. lf a base such as NaOH is added it -n
provides more OH-. HCL is a particularly strong acid because it dissociates completely in solution.
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The pH of a solution indicates how many water molecules are dissociated at any particular time and _)
is determined by the concentration of H* in solution. Specifically, pH is the - log of the H* molar
concentration. Remember from lecture that the molar concentration is the number of moles in one --l
liter of the solution.This number can be symbolized as: --,
- log IH-] where IH.] is the molar concentration of H protons --l
t--l
The pH value can range from 0 - 14. The greater the H* concentration of a solution, the more acidic
the solution is and the lower the pH number. The lower the H* concentration, the higher the pH -)
number and the solution becomes less acidic. A solution with a pH value above 7 is considered -)
to be basic. IH+] pH t
Figure j.lto the right shows the pH scale and 14
Lye
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also shows the reciprocal relationship between Very basic 13
Household bleach I
the H* and OH- concentrations in the blue and Drano
12
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red shaded areas.

Notice the reciprocal relationship between the 11 Ammonia T

concentration of H* and OH as one increases, 0.0000000001 10 N

Detergents
the other decreases. One aspect of the pH
Weakly basic g
Borax I
scale is that the product of the H* and OH Baking soda

concentrations is always 1 x 10-1a (the product of B Egg whlte -)

exponential numbers is determined by adding Blood
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Neutral 7
the exponents together). Therefore, if you know Pure water
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the pH of a solution you can determine both the 6 l\lany soils
H+ and the OH concentrations. For instance, if Potatoes
Weakly acidic 5
the pH is 4, the H* concentration is 1 x 1 0 a. If the Cotfee
Bananas
H* concentration is'1 x 1 0-4, you also know that 4 Tomato julce

the OH concentration is 1 x 10 10 (the product of Wine

3 Vinegar U
both concentrations is 1 x 10 1a). J
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Lemon juice
2 10_ o
Notice that the numbers for any pH value on Digestive juice :o
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the scale are positive. Remember that this is ,1
Verv acidrc
io_l =
-o
because the pH value is the -log of the molar Battery acid
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concentration of H*. lf the [H*] is 1 x 1 0 a the -
log of 1 x 10-a is 4. This example also illustrates Figure 3.1. The pH scale with pH numbers on the
why the number of H* decreases as the pH left along with their [H+] concentration (Moles/liter).
number increases. Relative OH- concentrations are in red. NOTE: the
colors used in this figure do not correspond with the
pH test paper you will use.

f solutions, pH, and Buffers | lab Activity 3

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It is also important to remember that the pH scale is logarithmic. Therefore, when the pH goes up or
l- down by 1, there is a ten-fold change in concentration of the ions.
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Answer the following questions to make sure you understand these concepts:
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1 . The pH of a solution is 6. What is the H* concentration? What is the OH
l- concentration?
! 2. lf the pH of one solution is 3 and the pH of a second solution is 6 how many more hydrogen ions
I are present in the first solution?

I A.3X B.30X C.300X D.100X E.1000x

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I ACTIVITY 3.1
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Calculating pH
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I Use your knowledge of pH and the relationship between the molar concentrations of H* and OH to
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fill in the blank spacesin Table 3.1 below:

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I Table 3.1.

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pH lH+l in scientific
IOH I in scientific notation IOH-I in decimalform
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notation

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1x10iM
I 1 x 10''7M

I 0.1 M
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ACTIVITY 3.2

Measuring pH

The pH of a solution can be measured in a number of ways. The simplest method is to use a strip of
paper that has a chemical coating that changes color depending on the pH. A more accurate methoc
ls to use a pH meter which uses an electrical current to measure pH levels. Today you will use pH
paper to measure the pH of various solutions.

Lab Activity 3 | Solutions, pH, and Arff"o

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. Measure the pH of the solutions listed inTable 3.2 -)
by placing 1 drop on a 2 cm piece of pH indicator _)
paper. Record your results in the table.
HvpnloN' _)
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Read the pH indicator paper immediately after www.MicroEssentialLab
com

putting the sample on it.

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Table 3.2. -)
Color of paper pH Acid or Base? _)
Vinegar
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Milk
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Apple.Juice
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Grapefrult Juice
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, Carbonated
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I bererage
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Drain cleaner
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Ammonia
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Distilled water I
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Tap water I

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ACTIVITY 3.3
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Buffers '' I

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Buffers are chemicals that resist changes in pH. ln other words they stabilize the pH. Because
most organisms require a stable pH for their internal fluids and environment, buffers are extremely
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important to them. For example even a small change in blood pH can be deadly. Homeostasis refers
to the ability of a living organism to maintain a stable internal environment. Buffers help organisms 'J
maintain homeostasis for pH. Your blood pH will be reduced for instance, if you are running for a long
distance. Lactic acid will be produced thus lowering the pH. :-!
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An example of the buffer system that stabilizes the pH of your blood is shown below. Buffers resist \-I
changes in pH by absorbing hydrogen ions (H*) if an acid is added to a solution or giving off H* or
absorbing OH if a base is added to a solution.
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H2CO3 HCO3 +Ht
carbonic acid bicarbonate ion
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solutions, pH,and Buffers I LabActivity3
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Notice that this reaction is reversible, in other words the reaction can proceed both ways or
I directions. Which direction (to the left or the right) the reaction proceeds is dependent on the pH of
t your blood. For instance if blood pH becomes more basic the carbonic acid will dissociate more and
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the reaction will proceed to the right.

I Question: ln which direction would the reaction proceed if your blood is becoming too acidic?
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I Explain your answer in a sentence or two below:

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ACTIVITY 3.4
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l Testing Solutions for Buffering Capacity

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ln this activity you will test two unknown solutions to determine which one is a buffer.
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. Put 5 ml of solution A and 5 ml of solution B with a pump pipette into separate labelled
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test tubes.
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. Place 2 folded paper towels on your table and label 'A" or "B'i
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. Tear off 12 (- 2 cm) pieces of pH test paper and place 6 pieces on each towel.
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. Test the initial pH of each solution by using a disposable pipette to place a small drop on the 1't
I piece of pH paper. Record the pH in the table below.
I . Then add a drop of the HCI to each tube and mix the solution with the same pipette by drawing
I and expelling the contents of the pipette several times.
t

I llruote
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Continue to use the same pipette for each tube - do not mix them up. Place a srnall drop on the
next piece of pH paper for each solution. Record the pH in lable 3.3.
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I . Continue to add a drop to each solution and check the pH after each drop is added until you
I have added 5 drops of acid.

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Table 3.3:
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Drops HCI added pH solution A pH solution B

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2

Lab Activity 3 | Solutions, pH, and Srff"r,

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7* NAI/t E:
,* DATE: TABLE
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LAB ACTIVITY 3
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I Review Questions
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I 1. What increases when you add an acid to a solution: H* or OH
?
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2. What is the pH of a neutralpH solution?

3. What is the H* concentration of a neutralsolution?

4. What is the H* concentration in a solution

that has a pH of 3?

5. What is the OH concentration of a solution with a pH of 3?

6. What happens when an acid such as HCI

is added to water?

labActivity3 | Solutions, pH,and Buffers: n"u;.r,

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7. How would carbonic acid lower the pH of a solution?
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g. lf your blood became too basic which direction (to the left or right) would your blood buffering
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reaction go? -)
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H2CO3+HCO3-+H*
carbonlc acid bicarbonate ion I

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9. Discuss why buffers are important to organisms.

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10. plot your dependent variable (what you measured) and independent variable (what
you manipulated) from your buffer data on graph paper. Which solution (A or B) was the _-!
better buffer? )
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solutions, pH, and Buffers I Lab Activity 3

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