A buffering agent adjusts the pH of a solution. The function of a buffering agent is to drive an acidic or alkaline solution to a certain pH state and prevent a change in this pH. Buffering agents have variable properties -- some are more soluble than others; some are acidic while others are basic. As pH managers, they are important in many chemical applications, including agriculture, food processing, medicine and photography. The correct title of this article is . ... Making a saline water solution by dissolving table salt (NaCl) in water This article is about chemical solutions. ... For alternative meanings see acid (disambiguation). ... The common (Arrhenius) definition of a base is a chemical compound that either donates hydroxide ions or absorbs hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. ... A chemical substance is any material substance used in or obtained by a process in chemistry: A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions. ... Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food for consumption by humans or animals. ... Medicine is the science and art of maintaining andor restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of patients. ... Photography [fәtɑgrәfi:],[foʊtɑgrәfi:] is the process of recording pictures by means of capturing light on a light-sensitive medium, such as a film or electronic sensor. ...

What a buffering agent is

Buffering agents can be either the weak acid or weak base that would comprise a buffer solution. Buffering agents are usually added to water to form buffer solutions. They are the substances that are responsible for the buffering seen in these solutions. These agents are added to substances that are to be placed into acidic or basic conditions in order to stabilize the substance. For example, buffered aspirin has a buffering agent, such as MgO, that will maintain the pH of the aspirin as it passes through the stomach of the patient. Another use of a buffering agent is in antacid tablets, whose primary purpose is to lower the acidity of the stomach. Acids and bases: Acid-base reaction theories pH Self-ionization of water Buffer solutions Systematic naming Electrochemistry Acid-base extraction Acids: Strong acids Weak acids Superacids Lewis acids Mineral acids Organic acids Bases: Strong bases Weak bases Superbases Lewis bases Organic bases edit Buffer solutions are solutions which resist change...

How a buffering agent works

The way buffering agents work is seen in how buffer solutions work. Using Le Chatelier's principle we get an equilibrium expression between the acid and conjugate base. As a result we see that there is little change in the concentrations of the acid and base so therefore the solution is buffered. A buffering agent sets up this concentration ratio by providing the corresponding conjugate acid or base to stabilize the pH of that which it is added to. The resulting pH of this combination can be found by using the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation: In chemistry, Le Chateliers principle, also called the Le Chatelier-Braun principle, can be used to predict the effect of a change in conditions on a chemical equilibrium. ... The Henderson-Hasselbalch (frequently misspelled Henderson-Hasselbach) equation in chemistry describes the derivation of pH as a measure of acidity (using pKa, the acid dissociation constant) in biological and chemical systems. ...

where HA is the weak acid and A is the anion of the base.

Buffering Agents Vs. Buffer Solutions

Buffering agents are similar to buffer solutions as a result of the fact that buffering agents are the main components of a buffer solution. They both regulate the pH of a solution and resist changes in pH. A buffer solution maintains the pH for the whole system which is placed into it, whereas a buffering agent is added to an already acidic or basic solution, which it then modifies and maintains a new pH. Acids and bases: Acid-base reaction theories pH Self-ionization of water Buffer solutions Systematic naming Electrochemistry Acid-base extraction Acids: Strong acids Weak acids Superacids Lewis acids Mineral acids Organic acids Bases: Strong bases Weak bases Superbases Lewis bases Organic bases edit Buffer solutions are solutions which resist change...

Conclusion

Buffering agents and buffer solutions are almost one and the same except for a few differences.

1. Solutions maintain pH of a system, preventing large changes in it, whereas agents modify the pH of what they are placed into
2. Agents are the active components of a buffer solutions

Monopotassium phosphate (MKP) is an example of a buffering agent. It has a mildly acidic reaction; when applied as a fertilizer with urea or diammonium phosphate, it minimizes pH fluctuations which can cause nitrogen loss. Monopotassium phosphate (also potassium dihydrogen phosphate, KDP, or monobasic potassium phosphate, MKP) -- KH2PO4 -- is a soluble salt which is used as a fertilizer, a food additive and a fungicide. ... Urea is an organic compound with the chemical formula (NH2)2CO. Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Nonproprietary Names (rINN) in use in Europe. ... Diammonium phosphate (DAP) is one of a series of water-soluble salts which can be produced when ammonia reacts with phosphoric acid. ... The correct title of this article is . ... General Name, symbol, number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, period, block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless gas Standard atomic weight 14. ...

References

• Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight, Third Edition. Peter Atkins and Loretta Jones
• Quantitative Chemical Analysis, Sixth Edition. Daniel C. Harris

Peter William Atkins (b. ...

See also

• Buffer solution
• Good's buffers

Acids and bases: Acid-base reaction theories pH Self-ionization of water Buffer solutions Systematic naming Electrochemistry Acid-base extraction Acids: Strong acids Weak acids Superacids Lewis acids Mineral acids Organic acids Bases: Strong bases Weak bases Superbases Lewis bases Organic bases edit Buffer solutions are solutions which resist change... Goods buffers (also Good buffers) are twelve buffering agents selected and described by Norman Good and colleagues in 1966. ...

External links

• [1] Oshun - The Glossary
• General Chemistry FAQ: buffered aspirin
• Effects of pH on Pesticides and Growth Regulators