pH and

Buffers
Ms. Lohren

Vocabulary

(Bell Ringerwrite these in your notebooks)

Acid-

A compound that forms H+ ions in

solution.
Base- A compound that produces
hydroxide ( OH-) ions in solution.
Buffer- Buffer are weak acids or bases that
can react with strong acids or bases to
prevent sharp, sudden changes in pH.

Properties of

Acids

Bases

pH Scale

Ranges from 0 14

pH < 7 : indicates an acid. Higher

concentration of H+ than OH-

pH = 7 : indicates a neutral solution. Equal

concentration of H+ and OH-

pH > 7 : indicates a base. Higher

concentration of OH- than H+

pH Scale

The pH scale is
logarithmic
So a single change is
10x the concentration
pH= -log [H+]
Kw= 1x10-14 M
For example a solution of pH of 10
has a hydrogen ion content of
1x10-10 M . The OH- content will
then be 1x10-4 M, because both
must equal 1x10-14 M, since Kw=
1x10-14 M.
So when a pH changes slightly, the
concentrations of H+ and OHchange substantially.

Buffers

A drastic and sudden change in pH in cells or the ocean would be

devastating!
Buffers are weak acids or bases that prevent sharp, sudden changes
in pH.

Calcium Carbonate is limestone, shells, antacid, and

even in your teeth! Bodies of water with a lot of
calcium carbonate (limestone) have a natural
buffer. They also are really hard water.

CaCO3

Interestingly, the ocean and the

human body both use a
bicarbonate buffering system

Limestone Formations in Caves

Rainwater

absorbs the CO2 in the air

making it acidic water.
The acidic water then dissolves limestone,
CaCO3 , forming stunning caves.

Calcium
bicarbonate
Is Ca(HCO3)2(aq)
Ca(HCO3)2(aq) CO2(g) + H2O(l) + CaCO3(s).

Real Life Application!!

Why is the Ocean more Acidic

now then it was before the
industrial revolution?

There is more CO2 in the air now due to the

burning of fossil fuels. The CO2 reacts with
water molecules, creating more free
hydrogen ions that drive down the pH of
seawater and make it more acidic. Some of
the hydrogen ions bind with existing
carbonate ions in seawater to form
bicarbonate. This lowers the amount of free
carbonate atoms that the coral and shellfish
need to build CaCO3.

Some Problems of
Acidification

Coral Reefs are actually dissolving.

Coral cannot build up again under these
conditions, and as much as 25% of ocean
species rely on it for a habitat.
Shellfish shells are harder to build, and energy
expended on shells takes away from energy
for other areas, like reproduction.
Knowing what you know about food webs,
how does a disturbance with one species
affect another? ( think of predators, prey, and
other species in the same niche)

What are some of the predictions if

things dont changed?

For example: Animals nicknamed sea butterflies, a

important link in the sea food chain, have been put in
ocean water at the predicted pH for 2100. Here is what
happened. These are MAJOR players in the food chain.

Knowing what you now know,

else can you think of?

How Animals Build Shells

How Animals Build Shells