Question

What is the difference between buffers with high and low capacities? Will adding 0.01 mol of $\mathrm{HCl}$ produce a greater pH change in a buffer with a high or a low capacity? Explain.

Name: Problem 5, Chapter 19: Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change
Uploaded: 2020-05-22T02:13:19-08:00
Duration: 3 min 2 s
Channel: Nicole Powell
Description: What is the difference between buffers with high and low capacities? Will adding 0.01 mol of HCl produce a greater pH change in a buffer with a high or a low capacity? Explain.

   What is the difference between buffers with high and low capacities? Will adding 0.01 mol of $\mathrm{HCl}$ produce a greater pH change in a buffer with a high or a low capacity? Explain.

Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change

Martin S.… 7th Edition

Chapter 19, Problem 5

Instant Answer

Solved by Expert Nicole Powell

05/22/2020

Step 1

A buffer with high capacity is more effective, while a buffer with low capacity is less effective. This capacity depends on two factors: the concentration of the weak acid and its conjugate base, and the difference in the concentrations of the acid and base. Show more…

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What is the difference between buffers with high and low capacities? Will adding 0.01 mol of $\mathrm{HCl}$ produce a greater pH change in a buffer with a high or a low capacity? Explain.

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Key Concepts

Buffer Capacity

This concept refers to a buffer's ability to resist changes in pH when small amounts of acid or base are added. A system with a high buffer capacity contains larger amounts of the buffering agents, meaning it can neutralize added H+ or OH? ions more effectively, resulting in only minimal changes to the pH.

Acid Addition and pH Response

When a strong acid like HCl is added to a buffer, the response in pH depends largely on the buffer capacity. In a buffer with low capacity, there are fewer buffering agents available to react with the added H+ ions, leading to a larger shift in pH. In contrast, a high capacity buffer contains more conjugate base to neutralize the acid, keeping the pH change much smaller.

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