PH MEASUREMENT AND BUFFER PREPARATION

DATU, Samantha Guinevere , DE LEON, Ace Jemuel, EBDANI, Jocee Mae, EBUENGA, Jhef
Joseph, ESPINA, Era Mae

GROUP 4

2I-PHARMACY

FACULTY OF PHARMACY

UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS

ABSTRACT

A buffer is a solution that can resist pH change upon the addition of an acidic or basic
components. It is able to neutralize small amounts of added acid or base, thus maintaining
the pH of the solution relatively stable. This is important for processes and/or reactions which
require specific and stable pH ranges. Buffer solutions have a working pH range and capacity
which dictate how much acid/base can be neutralized before pH changes, and the amount by
which it will change.
____________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION additions of either a strong acid or strong
base. Buffers usually consist of a weak acid
pH is a measure of hydrogen ion and its conjugate base, in relatively equal
concentration; a measure of the acidity or and "large" quantities. Calculations are
alkalinity of a solution. Aqueous solutions at based on the equation for the ionization of
25C with a pH less than seven are acidic, the weak acid in water forming the
while those with a pH greater than seven hydronium ion and the conjugate base of
are basic or alkaline. A pH level of is 7.0 at the acid. "HA" represents any weak acid
25C is defined as 'neutral' because the and "A-" represents the conjugate base.
concentration of H3O+ equals the
HA(aq) + H2O(l) --> H3O+(aq) + A-(aq)
concentration of OH in pure water. The
equation for calculating pH was proposed in A buffer system can be made by
1909 by Danish biochemist Sren Peter mixing a soluble compound that contains
Lauritz Srensen: the conjugate base with a solution of the
acid such as sodium acetate with acetic
pH = -log[H+]
acid or ammonia with ammonium chloride.
where log is the base-10 logarithm and [H+] The above equation for Ka can be
stands for the hydrogen ion concentration in rearranged to solve for the hydronium ion
units of moles per liter solution. The term concentration. By knowing the Ka of the
"pH" comes from the German word potenz, acid, the amount of acid, and the amount of
which means "power" combined with H, the conjugate base, the pH of the buffer system
element symbol for hydrogen, so pH is an can be calculated.
abbreviation for "power of hydrogen".

pH meter is a simple and speedy

A buffer solution is one in which the
device to measure the acidity and alkalinity
pH of the solution is "resistant" to small
of a fluid. A pH meter acts as a volt meter
that measures the electrical potential
difference between a pH electrode and a
reference electrode and displays the result
in terms of the pH value of the solution in
which they are immersed.
Concentration
Figure 1: pH meter
The pH meter was invented in 1934
by the American chemist Arnold O.
Beckman (1900-2004) to measure the
sourness of lemons. Beckman's original
device was housed in a walnut box 12
inches wide, 8 inches deep and 9 inches
high. It measured electrical current flowing
into a glass electrode immersed in a
solution. The amount of current indicated
the solution's acidity.
EXPERIMENTAL
I. Compounds used
1. For buffer preparation
Monosodium phosphate
NaH2PO4 (weak acid)
Disodium phosphate
Na2HPO4 (conjugate base)
2. Acid-base indicators
Bromphenol blue
Bromcresol green
Bromcresol purple
Phenol red
Methyl red
Methyl orange
Phenolphthalein
Thymol blue
II. Procedure
1. Preparation of Buffers
Table 1. Guideline for buffer preparation.
Buffer Solution pKa Desir
Phosphate 7.21 7.
Table 1
250 mL of 0.50M Phosphate buffer with
a pKa of 7.21 and a pH of 7 was prepared
by computing for the weak acid and
conjugate base component of the buffer
solution using the Henderson-Hasselbach
equation. The weak acid, which is
monosodium phosphate (NaH2PO4) and
the conjugate base, disodium phosphate
(Na2HPO4) were at solid form so they were
separately dissolved with water in a beaker.
The desired amount of NaH2PO4 and
Na2HPO4 was contained in a beaker and
was labelled accordingly.
2. Electrometric Determination of pH
A pH meter was used in measuring the
in measuring the pH using electrometry. It
was calibrated at 4, 7 and 10. The pH of the
samples having first diluted with 20 mL of
water were measured along with the
distilled water and the prepared buffer
solution. After calibrating the pH meter, the
pH of the buffer solution was adjusted to its
desired value by adding portions of
concentrated NaOH since the buffer
prepared was acidic.
3. Colorimetric Determination of pH
A. Preparation of color standards using
the buffer solutions
Two drops of the acid-base indicator
were placed in eight test tubes and was
labeled accordingly. 5 mL of the buffer were
pipetted and was placed inside the test tube
with its respective indicators. After shaking
the mixtures, the color produced was
recorded.
B. Determination of the pH of the
Samples
Another set of 8 test tubes were
prepared where water was to be treated
with similar indicators. All the mixtures had
been shaken and the colors produced upon
the treatment of indicator was recorded.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
I. Computations
H2PO4 + NaOH Na2HPO4
pH=7; pKa= 7.21
pH=pKa + log(x)
7= 7.21 + log(x)
7-7.21 =log(x)
-0.21 = log(x)
antilog-0.21 = (x)
Na2HPO4 x = 0.62 H2PO4-
n=(0.5 moles/L)(0.250L) = 0.125 moles
n buffer = n weak acid + n conjugate base
0.125 = n H2PO4- + 0.62 H2PO4-
0.125 1.62 = 1.62
0.077 = H2PO4-
0.125 - 0.077 = 0.048 n Na2HPO4
mole = mass MW
mass = (mole)(MW) = (0.48)(141.96 g/mol)
= 68.14 g Na2HPO4
mass = (mole)(MW) = (0.62)(119.98 g/mol)
= 74.38 g Na2HPO4
II. Electrometric Determination of pH
Sample pH [H+]
Distilled water 5.19 6.46 x 10-6
Assigned 6.9 1.26 x 10-7
sample
Buffer prepared 7.00 1 x 10-7
Table 2
A calibrated electric pH meter was
used to determine the pH, hence it is called
electrometric determination. To prepare the
buffer solution, the amount of acid and base
were adjusted while checking it with the pH
meter for every time there is expected
change. The common pH meter consists of
electrodes: the glass and the reference. The
glass electrode is a silver-based electrical
wire dipped in potassium chloride solution
while the reference electrode is a potassium
chloride-based wire dipped in potassium
chloride solution. The pH meter acts like a
voltmeter where in it compares the voltage
of the known solution to the voltage of the
sample. The differences in the voltage of
the two solutions are utilized to identify the
difference in the pH.
The pH of 6.9 for the assigned
sample was achieved by adding more base
since the initial pH was too acidic, therefore
being far from the assigned pH which was
7.
III. Colorimetric Determination of pH
The colorimetric determination of the
pH is achieved by mixing the acid-base
indicator and the buffer solution. The results
for the colorimetric determination of the pH
is shown on the table 3.
The buffer produced a pale yellow
color when it was mixed with Thymol blue.
The first pH range of thymol blue is 1.2 to
2.8. If the solution is too low, it yields a red
color. The solution is too high when it turns
yellow. The second pH range of thymol blue
is 8.2 to 10. It produces a yellow color when
it is too low and a blue color when it is too
high.
The second indicator used is
bromophenol blue. This indicator produced
a light purple solution with the buffer. Its pH
range is 3 to 4.6. A yellow solution indicates
that it is low in pH while the purple solution
indicates that it is high in pH.
Bromocresol green produced a blue
solution with the buffer. Its pH range is 3.8
to 5.4. A yellow solution signifies that it is
too low while a blue solution signifies that it
is too high.
Bromocresol purple yielded a purple
solution when it was mixed with the buffer.
Its pH range is 5.2 to 6.8. The solution is
said to be low in pH when it is yellow and
high in pH when it is purple.
The next indicator is phenol red
which has a pH range of 6.4 to 8. A yellow
solution with phenol red indicates that it is
low in pH while a red solution indicates that
it is high in pH. The buffer produced a light
orange solution when it was mixed with the
said indicator.
The pH range of the methyl red
indicator is 4.4 to 6.2. This indicator
produced a light yellow solution with a
buffer. A red solution with the methyl red
indicator signifies that it is low in pH while a
yellow solution signifies that it is high in pH.
Methyl orange produced a yellow
orange color when it was mixed with the
buffer. Its pH range is 3.1 to 4.4. The pH is
said to be too low when the solution is red.
The pH is too high when it produces a
yellow solution.
The last indicator is phenolphthalein
which showed no change when it was
mixed with the clear, colorless buffer. Its pH
range is 8.3 to 10. A colorless solution with
phenolphthalein shows that the pH is low
while a pink solution shows that the pH is
high.
 Color with Standard Buffers
Acid-base
pH Sample
indicator
2 3 5 7 7.5 8 10 12 Distilled water
Light Pale Pale Light Light
Thymol blue Purple Yellow Yellow Yellow
yellow yellow yellow blue blue
Light
Bromophenol Blue Light Light Blue
Yellow Indigo Lavender purpl purple
blue green purple purple violet
e
Bromocresol Light Light Light Light
Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue green
green yellow yellow blue blue
Bromocresol Light Light
Yellow Purple Purple Purple Purple Indigo Light purple
purple orange yellow
Light
Phenol red pink Pink Yellow pink Red Pink Pink Yellow
orange
Light
Light Light Light Light
Methyl red Pink Yellow Pink yello Yellow
yellow yellow yellow yellow
w
Yello
yellow Yellow Yellow w
Methyl orange pink Yellow Orange Orange Orange
orange orange orange orang
e
Phenolphthalei No No No No
No color No color pink Pink No color
n color color color color
pH 5.19
Table 3

The different methods proved effectivity in

both determining the pH value of a buffer
CONCLUSION solution and differentiating the different pH
values of different buffer solutions from one
The experiment aimed to measure the another.
different pH of different Buffer Preparation.
Different methods were utilized in obtaining
the pH values of the Buffer preparation. The REFERENCES
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