Acid-Base Balance

Functions of hydrogen ions

 Gradient of H+ concentration between inner

and outer mitochondrial membrane acts as the
driving force for oxidative phosphorylation
 The surface charge and physical configuration
of proteins are affected by changes in H+
concentration
 H+ concentration decides the ionisation of week
acids and thus affects their physiological
functions
 An Acid
 Molecules containing
hydrogen atoms that can
release hydrogen ions in
solutions are referred to
as an acid.
 An example of an acid is
hydrochloric acid (HCL)
 A Base
 A base is an ion that
can accept a
hydrogen ion.
 An example of a
base is is the
bicarbonate ion.
HCO3-
 Weak and strong acids
 The extent of dissociation decides whether
they are strong acids or weak acids
 Strong acids dissociate completely in solution,
while weak acids ionize incompletely, for
example
HCl H+ + Cl- (complete)
H2CO3 H+ + HCO3- (incomplete)
 Dissociation constant
 Since the dissociation of an acid is a freely
reversible reaction, at equilibrium the ratio
between dissociated and undissociated particle
is a constant
Ka = [H+] [A-]
[HA]
 The pH at which the acid is half ionized is
called pKa of an acid which is constant at a
particular temperature and pressure
 Acidity of a solution
 The acidity of a solution is measured by noting
the hydrogen ion concentration in the solution
and obtained by the equation
[acid]
[H+] = Ka
[base]
 Acidity can also be expressed in terms of pH
which is the negative logarithm of hydrogen ion
concentration
pH = - log [H+]
 Henderson-Hasselbalch
equation
 The relationship between pH, pKa,
concentration of acid and conjugate base is
expressed by the Henderson-Haselbalch
equation,
[base]
pH = pKa + log
[acid]
 When [base] = [acid]; then pH = pKa
 Application of the equation
 The pH of a buffer on addition of a known
quantity of acid and alkali can therefore be
predicted by the equation
 Moreover, the concentration of salt or acid can
be found out by measuring the pH
 The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation therefore
has great practical application in clinical practice
in assessing the acid-base status, and
predicting the limits of the compensation of body
buffers
 Buffers
 Buffers are solutions which can resist changes
in pH when acid or alkali is added
 Buffers are of two types:
– Mixture of weak acids with their salt with a
strong base or
– Mixture of weak bases with their salt with a
strong acid
 Factors affecting pH of a
buffer
 The pH of the buffer solution is determined by
two factors

– The value of pK: The lower the value of pK,

the lower is the pH of the solution
– The ratio of salt to acid concentration
 Factors affecting buffer
capacity
 The actual concentrations of salt and acid
present, as well as by their ratio
 Buffering capacity is the number of grams of
strong acid or alkali which is necessary for a
change in pH of one unit of one litre of buffer
solution
 The buffering capacity of a buffer is defined as
the ability of the buffer to resist changes in pH
when an acid or base is added
 How do buffers act?
 Buffer solutions consist of mixtures of weak
acid or base and its salt
Acetate buffer = CH3COOH/ CH3COONa
CH3COONa + HCl CH3COOH + NaCl
CH3COOH + NaOH CH3COONa + H2O
 The buffer capacity is determined by the
absolute concentration of the salt and acid. But
the pH of the buffer is dependent on the
relative proportions of the salt and acid
 Effective range of a buffer
 A buffer is most effective when the
concentrations of salt and acid are equal or
when pH = pKa
 The effective range of a buffer is 1 pH unit
higher or lower than pKa
 Since the pKa values of most of the acids
produced in the body are well below the
physiological pH, they immediately ionize and
add H+ to the medium. This would necessitate
effective buffering
 Acid-base balance

 The normal pH of plasma is 7.4 (H+ = 40nmol/L)

 In normal life, the variation of plasma pH is very
small
 It is maintained within a narrow range of 7.38 to
7.42
 Acidosis
 If the pH is below 7.38, it is called acidosis
 Life is threatened when the pH is lowered
below 7.25
 Acidosis leads to CNS depression and coma
 Death occurs when pH is below 7.0
 Alkalosis
 When the pH is more than 7.42, it is alkalosis
 It is very dangerous if pH is increased above
7.55
 Alkalosis induses neuromuscular
hyperexcitability and tetany
 Death occurs when the pH is above 7.6
 pH Ranges Compatible With Life

In blood, the pH represents the

relationship between the respiratory and
the metabolic systems. A normal pH in
the human body is between 7.35-7.45.
 Types of acids in the body

 Volatile acids – Carbonic acid

 Non volatile or fixed acids – Lactate, keto

acids, sulphuric acid and phosphoric acid

 Metabolism produces nearly 20,000 mEq of
carbonic acid and 60-80 mEq of fixed
acids/day
 1 mol of glucose produces 2 mols of lactic acid
 Sulpho proteins yield sulphuric acid
 Phosphoproteins and nucleoproteins produce
phosphoric acid
 About 3 g of phosphoric acid and sulphuric
acid are produced per day
 Carbonic acid, being volatile, is eliminated as
CO2 by the lungs

 Fixed acids are buffered and later on the H+

are excreted by the kidney
 Mechanism of regulation of
pH

 Buffers of body fluid – first line of defense

 Respiratory system – second line of defense

 Renal excretion – third line of defense

 Buffers of the body fluid

 The buffers are effective as long as the acid

load is not excessive, and the alkali reserve is
not exhausted
 Once the base is utilized in this reaction, it is to
be replenished to meet further challenge