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Controlling the pH of Blood

Human blood plasma has to have a pH between 7.35 and 7.45. The pH is controlled in part by the carbonic acid-hydrogen carbonate buffer.H2CO3(aq) ⇌ H+(aq) + HCO3-(aq)Carbonic acid H2CO3 is a weak acid and the hydrogen carbonate ion HCO3- is its conjugate base

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Specification: OCR Chemistry A (H432), A-level, 5.1.3 Acids, bases and buffers. Topic: Acids, Bases and Buffers.

Key terms in this lesson

buffer solution
A solution that resists changes in pH when small amounts of acid or alkali are added.
weak acid
An acid that only partially dissociates into its ions in aqueous solution.
conjugate base
The species left after an acid has donated a proton.

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