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Buffer Solutions

OCR A-level ChemistryAcids, Bases and BuffersLesson 10 of 15

A buffer solution resists changes in pH when small amounts of acid or alkali are added. An acidic buffer solution is a mixture of a weak acid HA and its conjugate base A-. This gives such a large reservoir of HA and a large reservoir of A- ions that any small increase or decrease in HA or A- ions will be negligible.

Diagram

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Key terms in this lesson

conjugate base
The species left after an acid has donated a proton.

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