The Conditions Needed for a Buffer to Set the pH in a System

Abstract

Abstract It is a known fact that buffer systems are widely used in industry and diverse laboratories to maintain the pH of a systemwithin desired limits, occasionally narrow. Hence, the aim of the present work is to study the buffer capacity and buffer efficacy in order to determine the useful conditions to impose the pH on a given system. This study is based on the electroneutrality and component balance equations for a mixture of protons polyreceptors. The added volume equations are established, V, for strong acids or bases, as well as the buffer capacity equations with dilution effect, βdil, and the buffer efficacy, ε, considering that the analyte contains a mixture of the species of the same polyacid system or various polyacid systems. The ε index is introduced to define the performance of a buffer solution and find out for certain, whether the buffer is adequate to set the pH of a system, given the proper conditions and characteristics. Keywords: buffer, buffer capacity, buffer efficacy, polyacid systems, electroneutrality equation.