JABATAN BIOKIMIA, FAKULTI PERUBATAN,

UKM



SLP:
pH, ACIDS, BASES
AND BUFFERS

[YASMIN ANUM MOHD YUSOF
rahmatyasmin@yahoo.com]















REFERENCES:

1. Marks' Basic Medical Biochemistry: A Clinical Approach (3rd edition): Colleen
Smith, Allan Marks, Michael Lieberman:
2. Harpers Illustrated Biochemistry, Illustrated edition. (28
th
edition)/ Robert
K. Murray, David A Bender, Kathleen M. Botham, Peter J. Kennelly, Victor W.
Rodwell, P. Anthony Weil
3. [http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=nur6906





























At the end of this SLP students should be able to:


define and explain pH, pKa of acids and bases in relation to
metabolism
define buffer and relate with Henderson Hasselbalch equation.
give examples of buffer in our body and describe the principle in
relation with its function.


Below are some examples of substances with their approximate pH
pH SUBSTANCES
1 Gastric juice (HCl)
2 Lemon juice
4 Tomatoes
6 Urine
7 Neutral water, tears
7.5 Blood
9 Baking soda, Antacids
11 Ammonia
14 Sodium hydroxide



1. Define pH.





2. What are acids and bases?






3. Give two examples for each:

i. Strong acids



ii. Weak acids



iii. Strong bases



iv. Weak bases




The pKa of a substance is similar to the pH ie:
pKa = -log [Ka] where Ka is the equilibrium constant for the partial ionization of weak
acids in water.
HA A
-
+ H
+












Explain why basic (eg histidine and lysine ) and acidic amino acids (glutamic and
aspartic acids) have 3 pkas. (Draw the titration curve to explain better)










Why nucleic acids are called acids? (Hint: look at the structure)










BUFFERS

Blood are the solutions in which the required ions (for example, electrolytes) are
floating in a pH range of 7.35-7.45. Most substances in the body (example
electrolytes such as Na+, K+, Cl- , sugar, phosphate, proteins etc) will try to
maintain this pH. However, when external sources are introduced in our body, it
may disturb our blood pH range, BUT our body has a backup system in case things
go awry. A buffer system in our body especially bicarbonate and its acid which exist
in the blood [CO
2
+ H
2
CO
3
HCO
3
-
+ H
+
] help to neutralize the blood if excess
hydrogen or hydroxide ions are produced. Two main organs that are involved in
compensating imbalances in our acid-base system are the lung and kidney. If our
buffer system fails to maintain the normal pH, then we can develop into acidosis or
alkalosis.
[http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=nur6906]



What is acidosis?








What is alkalosis?



















When you drink a glass of lemon juice will it make your blood acidic? (Remember
from the table, pH of lemon juice is 2). Explain.





Give examples of buffer systems in our body. Use the following equation
[Henderson -Hasselbalch] in your explanation how a buffer will try to maintain a
normal pH. (This is how our blood system does)


pH = pKa + log [A
-
] base component
[HA] acid component



























CASE 1
A 21 year old University male student had severe diarrhea for several days and was
admitted to the hospital. His blood pH was 7.29. His plasma bicarbonate was 11
mmol/L (normal range: 98-108) due to loss of the intestinal fluid. Other blood
parameters are normal.
Is he experiencing acidosis or alkalosis?




By using the Henderson-Hasselbachs equation explain and show how our body will
try to maintain a normal pH. Show how our blood maintains a pH of 7.45 by using
the bicarbonate system. pKa of bicarbonate buffer is 6.8. (Hint: Calculate the ratio
of bicarbonate/pCO2)

pH = 6.8 log [HCO
3
-
] base component 6.8 is the pKa of bicarbonate acid
[pCO
2
] acid component








CASE 2
A 72 year old man with chronic obstructive airways disease has the following
arterial blood gas parameters:
26 mmol/L [23-33] bicarbonate; PCO2 of 78mmHg [35-45]
Calculate the pH of the blood (pKa of carbonic acid is 6.8); Is he experiencing
alkalosis or acidosis? How would the buffer system in the blood compensate for the
change in pH to become normal again?















Working solutions:

1. Calculate the pH of 0.01M Hydrochloric Acid.



2. Calculate the pH of 0.01M NaOH . (Hint use pKw= pH + pOH; pKw = 14)