Water, Acids and Bases, Buffers

Prepared by:
Justin Brian Chiongson, M. Sc., RCh
Relicardo M. Coloso, Ph. D., RCh
Department of Chemistry and Physics
University of San Agustin, Iloilo City
Water is an essential nutrient vital
to existence of both animals and plants

In the body, water is found inside and

around the cells and within all blood vessels
 Functions of water that are essential to life
•Principal fluid medium in which nutrients, gases,
and enzymes are dissolved
•Extracellular water bathes the cells, serving as
medium for transport of nutrients and oxygen
to the cells and removing wastes from the cells
•Intracellular water is the physicochemical medium
that allows various metabolic processes
to take place
•Intracellular fluid volume provides form to
tissues and organs and ultimately to the body
•Regulation of body temperature
HUMAN BODY MAS

60% WATER

17 % PROTEIN

15 % FAT

3 % NITROGEN
 CHEMISTRY OF WATER

Mp = 0⁰C, Bp = 100⁰C, max density at 4 ⁰C, high

specific heat, high heat of vaporization and
fusion, high dipole moment
WATER MOLECULES FORM HYDROGEN
BONDS

Tetrahedral hydrogen bonding of water

 WATER IS A UNIVERSAL SOLVENT
Interactions:
1. H-bonding – bond between H and an
electronegative atom such as O or N
2. Ion-dipole - bond between an ion and a
molecule with an electric dipole moment such
as H2O
3. Dipole-dipole - bond between 2 molecules with
electric dipole moments such as H2O and an
amide or amine functional group
IMPLICATIONS …
A solvent is good at dissolving a substance
(solute) in solution.
•Water is polar, so it can dissolve ions
and other polar organic molecules such as
proteins and carbohydrates which are
hydrophilic (water-loving). Like dissolves like.
•Water is a poor solvent for non-polar
molecules which are hydrophobic
(water-fearing) such as fats and oils resulting
Hydrophobic aggregation.
Fat droplet in fat cells – example of
hydrophobic aggregation

Fat droplet
 Review Acids, Bases and pH
• pH = -log [H+ or H3O+]
• ACID- STRONG ACID, WEAK ACID
• Ka, pKa
• BASE- STRONG BASE, WEAK BASE
• Kb
• Kw
 Acids, Bases and pH
Importance of pH in living cells:
• In animals, for example, the maintenance of
blood pH (7.35 < pH < 7.45) is crucial for life.

Slightly acidic pH (6.95) →coma and

death.
Slightly basic pH (7.7) → convulsions and
muscle spasms.
 Acids, Bases and pH
Importance of pH in living cells:
• Dramatic shifts in pH can play a role in
controlling cellular activities such as egg
division after fertilization and enzymatic
activities

• Consequently, cells must work constantly to

maintain an acid-base balance.
 O G I C A L
D O B I O L H ?
HOW T H E I R p
A I N TA I N
ST E M S M
SY
 Buffer
• Buffer solution is a solution containing a weak acid or
base that is capable of resisting or minimizing the
change in pH upon addition of a strong acid or base.
• Buffers solutions are made up of a weak acid and its
conjugate base or a weak base and its conjugate acid.
• Used in all biochemical work to control pH.
• Buffer problems are solved using the Henderson-
Hasselbach equation.
• Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation:
pH = pKa + log [salt/acid]
pH = pKb + log [salt/base]
 Buffer

Buffer capacity is affected by

1. [salt/acid] ratio
2. Concentration of acid and conjugate base
component
Buffer

• Inflection point
pH=pKa
• Equivalence point
complete deprotonation
Blood is an example of a buffered system – pH
maintained at pH 7.35-7.45

Bicarbonate buffering system of the blood

 Buffer

Describe the preparation of 100mL of 0.5M

acetic acid buffer, pH=5 from 1M HAc
(pKa=4.74) and 1M NaOH.

Describe the preparation of 500mL of 0.25M

acetic acid buffer, pH=5.2 from 0.5M HAc
(pKa=4.74) and 0.5M NaOH