Determining the Buffer Capacity of a Solution of Citric Acid and Sodium Citrate

Jacob Castaneda
Raymond Phan
Ricardo Munoz
Vivian Le
3/14/16
Abstract
Buffers are chemical solutions in which a conjugate acid/base and an acid/base are mixed
together in a solution. The solution is resistant to pH change because any hydroxide or
hydronium ions added the solutions will bond with the salt thus reducing its effect on the overall
acidity or basic nature of the solution. Buffers are used a lot in everyday life from household
cleaners to medication as a safeguard. The purpose of the lab was to design a buffer solution that
would be used within an anti-viral medication and cause the virus to become inactive. To
accomplish this two initial solution with a pH of about 4.1 needed to be made using 0.01 moles
of sodium citrate mixed in with 100 mL of a .1 M of citric acid. Then titrate the solutions with
0.2 M solution of HCl and NaOH. The initial pH of one of the buffer was 3.92 and once titrated
with 34.2 mL of HCl the pH was 3.37. The initial pH of the second buffer was 4.13 and the final
pH after titrating with 48.3 mL of NaOH was 4.74. The significance of the results in the lab are
that the buffer was able to greatly resist a change in pH. This is important because when people
take medicine there are certain substances that are not meant to be taken with them. The buffers
within the medication help protect the person from any harmful effects that could happen due to
a change in pH. Some errors that might have occurred within the lab are that the calculations
needed to create the buffer solutions were off causing the solutions to have a higher initial pH.
This wouldve caused the titration of the solution to be inaccurate and cause the results to have a
higher pH that would be appropriate.

Procedure
Using a graduated cylinder measure 100 mL of a 0.1 M of citric acid. Using an analytical scale,
mass 0.01 moles of sodium citrate. Repeat the measurements to create another identical solution.
Then using a graduated cylinder measure out 50mL of a 0.2 M of Hydrochloric acid and Sodium
Hydroxide. Titrate each of buffer solution using the HCl and the NaOH solutions.
Data