Investigation of Buffers
Name
Name of Lab Partner(s)
Date of Experiment
Date Report Submitted
This page, Page 1, is your cover sheet.
In what follows, the BLACK text is text you can keep or modify as you wish.
The GREEN text contains instructions for you to follow in completing the report.
There are tables where you must enter data. Feel free to change the length of the
tables to accommodate all the data that you have.
The ORANGE text xxxxx simulates text you need to write. Replace the orange
with your own words. You may need more than one word!
The YELLOW background indicates a place where you must enter numerical
results into the text.
REMOVE all the colors when you are done!
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Abstract
Our investigation of buffers revealed that a buffer solution always contains significant
concentrations of xxxxx, and that a buffer solution xxxxx changes in pH when a strong acid or
base is added to it. Buffers can be prepared by mixing a weak acid with the salt if its xxxxx, and
also by mixing a weak acid with xxxxx or by mixing a weak base with a xxxxx. For the acetate
buffers we prepared, we observed pH changes of about xxxxx pH units when one drop of 0.5 M
HCl or 0.5 M NaOH were added. We made buffer solutions by mixing acetic acid and sodium
acetate to test the Henderson-Hasselbach equation, and found that xxxxx ….. We made buffer
solutions using both graduated cylinders and micropipettes to measure the volumes of solutions
to mix, and found that the two methods of measuring volume produced/ did not produce buffers
with significantly different pH values.
Introduction
The purpose of this experiment is explore the chemistry of buffers …
Explain your model of buffer behavior. You will want to talk about weak acids, conjugate
bases, and of course insert the lovely H-H equation about the pH of buffers. Be sure to identify
variables in the equation and provide a general explanation of buffer behavior based on the
equation.
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Experimental Method
To determine what kinds of mixtures could produce buffer solutions, we measured …..
Describe Part 1 of the experiment! What was the buffer, and what was the control? How did
you observe “Buffer Behavior”?
Describe Part 2 of the experiment! How did you measure pH? How did you determine which
mixtures were or were not buffers? What observations did you make to support the
determination?
Generally speaking, the passive voice is used to present the experimental method, so you say
“the pH was measured using a pH probe” rather than “I used a pH probe to measure the pH”.
This is the only section of a lab report that I believe should be adhere to the use of the passive
voice. But then notice that I didn’t use the passive voice in my first sentence above! Also, the
two sentence below!
We tested the H-H equation by …..
Describe Part 3 of the experiment! You should explain why only the volumes are needed to
compute the log term.
To determine the precision of making buffers, we tried making them by mixing together
an acid and its conjugate base using both grad cylinders and micropipettes.
Describe Part 4 of the experiment! Which target pH values were you assigned? What volumes
did you try to mix?
To assess the differences of these two methods we used a paired t test.
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How does that work? Explain what P-values would indicate that the methods are significantly
different.
Raw Data
Table 1. pH Change after Addition of Strong Acid or Strong Base1
ΔpH (HCl) ΔpH (NaOH)
What buffer solution?
What control solution?
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what concentrations, how many drops?
Describe the color changes that took place when you added acid or base. Be clear about the two
different indicators your used.
Table 2 presents the raw data you and your partners collected. Point out the pH of the original
solutions as well; that will be important later!
Table 2. pH: Original Solutions; Mixtures of Acids and Bases
Mixed w/ Mixed w/ Mixed w/
pH 0.2 M HOAc 0.2 M NaOAc 0.1 M NaOH
0.1 M HCl
0.2 M HOAc 4.75b
0.2 M NaOAc
0.1 M NaOH
b
Possible acetate buffer
Center the pH values in the cells of the table.
Place a superscript b in the cells where, in your opinion, the pH indicates a possible buffer.
We chose two or three mixtures to test for buffer behavior by adding one drop of strong acid or
strong base. Describe what you observed. Did it match what you saw in part 1?
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Table 3. Your Title—Only you and your partners’ data goes in this table!
ml base/ml acid1 Log [B]/[A] pH
8/8 0.0 4.76
1
What were those solutions that you used?
Center the information in the cells. Note the sneaky way that both acid and base volumes are
entered in the table!
Chart Title
12
10
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Fig 1. pH vs log [B]/[A]. Graph the data in Table 3. You will want to use markers only for the
data, and draw a line using Trend line.
Table 4 presents the results of attempting to make identical buffers solution using grad cylinders
and micropipettes. We prepared acetate, ammonia, and phosphate buffers.
Table 4. Your Title—Only you and your partners’ data goes in this table!
Target pH ml base/ml acid1 pH (grad cyl) ml base/ml acid pH (micropip)
4.75 8/8 4.76 3.5/3.5 4.74
1 2 3
acetate ammonia phosphate
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Center the information in the cells. Note the sneaky way that both acid and base volumes are
entered in the table!
Sample Calculation
Show how you used the buffer equation to determine the volume to mix for one – just one! – of
your target pH values! Yep – you’ve got to do some algebra. In p chem I would let you do this
by hand. You can do that here too.
Data Analysis
Significance Testing
Table 4 presents the pooled data from the entire class for all mixtures of buffers made using grad
cylinders and micropipettes. Here’s where you mention the Paired t test again! Please don’t let
the lovely table get broken across a page break!
Table 4. Plain vs Plain M&M data analysis.
students pH (grad cyl) pH (micropip)
WHO
This time you’re going to report the P-value from the test in the text of a paragraph! And you
will immediately state whether the results indicate there is or isn’t a significant difference in the
methods of preparing the buffers!
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Discussion
Here’s where you get down to the data. The first thing to do is use the data in Tables 1 and 2 to
convince the reader that you know which mixtures created buffers and what “buffer behavior” is!
Do the solutions you tested in Table 1 show buffer behavior? How? Then explain why the
mixtures in Table 2 made buffers – some balanced reactions will help! The pH of the original
solutions are important, for example, explain what happens when NaOAc and NaOH are mixed
together. Who controls the pH of that mixture? How do you know based on pH? You should
have an explanation for all six mixtures in this paragraph-either why they are a buffer or why
they aren’t!
Does the data in Table 3 and Figure 1 verify the H-H equation? What are the values of slope and
y-intercept, and what do they mean chemically?
How accurately can you make buffers to a given pH? How precisely can you make buffers using
two different ways of measuring the volumes. Which question does the paired t test answer??
Conclusions
What did you learn about buffer behavior from this experiment? Summarize buffer behavior,
and how it comes about chemically. Why do you think that chemists usually make a buffer for a
particular pH using a weak acid and a strong base with a pH probe at in hand? What advice
would you give to someone trying to make a buffer, say yourself in the future?
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Literature Cited
Harris,D,C.(2003). Quantitative Chemical.Analysis (6th Ed), p72-74, New York: W. H. Freeman
Company.
List any reference to the procedure that you followed.
Cite a reference other than Harris for the statistical tests.
Where did you get any other information you used?
