Buffer solution can be defined as an equilibrium mixture of a
conjugate acid-base pair which is capable of resisting substantial;
changes in pH upon the addition of small amounts of acidic or
basic substances. With some exceptions, either the acid or the
base of the conjugate pair is a weak electrolyte.
The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation is a mathematical statement
which defines the pH of a solution of a conjugate acid-base pair
in terms of the dissociation constant of the weak acid-base pairs
and the equilibrium concentrations of the acid and its conjugate
base. This equation is extremely useful in calculating the pH
of the buffer.
Figure 1: Preparation of a 0.02M Tris buffer at pH 8.0.
Buffer A and B are prepared in the same way except 0.5 mole of
NaCl is added to flask B before the volume is brought to 1 L for
buffer B.