Q.It is enough to add a few mL of a buffer solution to maintain its pH. Which property of buffer is used here?
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Step 1. The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, , shows that a buffer's pH is set entirely by the RATIO of salt to acid concentrations, not by how much buffer (in total volume or moles) is present.
Step 2. Because this is a ratio, even a comparatively small volume of a buffer solution -- so long as its own internal salt/acid ratio is well fixed -- carries that fixed pH 'signature' with it.
Step 3. Adding this small volume to a larger system introduces enough of the buffer's own weak acid and conjugate base reservoirs to intercept and neutralize any small amounts of acid or base being generated in (or added to) that larger system, without the buffer being overwhelmed. …
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