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2. Sodium salts of phosphoric acid, H3PO4, are used extensively in the preparation of buffers. The...

2. Sodium salts of phosphoric acid, H3PO4, are used extensively in the preparation of buffers. The Ka values of phosphoric acid are 7.5 x 10-3, 6.2 x 10-8, and 4.8 x 10-13. Calculate the corresponding pKa values (3). If you want the buffer to have a pH of 7.4, which of the salts do you need and why ? (2) Note : you do not need to calculate any amounts!

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Answer #1

pKa = -logKa

H3PO4/NaH2PO4   Ka1 =7.5x10-3 ; pKa = 2.1

NaH2PO4/Na2HPO4 Ka2 =6.2x10-8 ; pKa = 7.2

Na2HPO4/Na3PO4 Ka3 =4.8x10-13 ; pKa = 12.3

Buffers works best when the pKa corresponds to the desired pH.

Look up the pKa (or Ka) values associated with each acid/base conjugate pair which is closed to the desired pH = 7.4

NaH2PO4/Na2HPO4 is the right choice for the buffer of desired pH.

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