Acids & Bases
What You’ll Learn
A buffer solution is an aqueous solution that resists changes in pH upon addition of small amounts of an acid or base. It consists of a weak acid and its conjugate base or a weak base and its conjugate acid. The pH of a buffer solution can be calculated using the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, which relates the pH to the pKa and the ratio of the salt to acid concentrations. Buffer solutions are important in biological systems to maintain pH within a desired range, as well as in various applications like fermentation, electroplating, and printing.