Suppose I had an acid HA, and it reaches equilibrium in water. Then I remove the hydronium ions. I don't know how I would do this, maybe adding some hydroxide ions. My question is can I do this and will I be able to eventually create a 50/50 mixture of acid and conjugate base? Is this a very good buffer?
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asked Mar 10 '15 at 16:23
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$\begingroup$ Welcome to chemistry.SE! If you had any questions about the policies of our community, you can visit the help center or take a tour of the website. $\endgroup$ – M.A.R. Mar 10 '15 at 17:11
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$\begingroup$ The quick answer is that it depends what 'A' is. $\endgroup$ – jerepierre Mar 10 '15 at 17:45
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You can't just remove hydronium ions because the solution needs to remain electrically neutral.
You can't just add hydroxide ions, but you could add sodium hydroxide until the HA/A- ratio was 50/50.
Is this a very good buffer?
It is the optimum ratio of HA and A- for buffering.
