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Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: yankeekd25 on April 01, 2009, 08:36:00 AM

Title: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: yankeekd25 on April 01, 2009, 08:36:00 AM
An aqueous solution contains 0.353 M ethylamine (C2H5NH2).

How many mL of 0.328 M hydrobromic acid would have to be added to 225 mL of this solution in order to prepare a buffer with a pH of 10.600.

Kb= 4.3 x 10^-4
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: AWK on April 01, 2009, 08:49:02 AM
Show your attempt!
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: yankeekd25 on April 01, 2009, 08:59:24 AM
An aqueous solution contains 0.353 M ethylamine (C2H5NH2).

How many mL of 0.328 M hydrobromic acid would have to be added to 225 mL of this solution in order to prepare a buffer with a pH of 10.600.

Kb= 4.3 x 10^-4

Ethylamine + H+ --> EthylamineH+ + H2O (** don't know how the reaction exactly happens)
0.079425 moles-0.0738 moles     .0738 moles created
0.005625/ .0738

But now I have no idea what to do with the pH. I was thinking about trying to backwards solve the H-H equation. Would that work?
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: lancenti on April 01, 2009, 09:18:06 AM
You can actually use the Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson-Hasselbalch_equation) to solve this very quickly.

pH = pKa + lg{(Conj. Base/Acid)}

Remember, though, that what your question gave was Ka and not Kb

And if it helps,

CH3CH2NH2 + H2O <-> CH3CH2NH3+ + OH-
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: yankeekd25 on April 01, 2009, 09:28:31 AM
An aqueous solution contains 0.353 M ethylamine (C2H5NH2).

How many mL of 0.328 M hydrobromic acid would have to be added to 225 mL of this solution in order to prepare a buffer with a pH of 10.600.

Kb= 4.3 x 10^-4

10.6= 10.63 + log

Looking good so far?
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: lancenti on April 01, 2009, 10:37:18 PM
Don't forget that some of the ethylamine is converted into its conjugate acid form, i.e. it should be lg{x / (0.353 - x)} and not lg{x/0.353}, otherwise, looks good.

PS. I didn't check whether pKb you gave was correct.
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: yankeekd25 on April 01, 2009, 11:24:49 PM
Okay, so once you solve for x, what is the next step please?
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: Borek on April 02, 2009, 02:50:38 AM
Stoichiometry. Write reaction equation.
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: yankeekd25 on April 03, 2009, 09:37:18 AM
I cannot figure this problem out, or how to find mL of the base need. It's a 1:1 ratio I believe, so how do I go from here?

10.6= 10.63 + log x /[.353-x]
-0.03 = log x / (.353-x)
.933 = x / .353 - x
.933 (.353-x) = x
.329 - .933x = x
.329 = 1.933x
x= .170

Do I need to do anything with the original volume of the acid?

Perhaps, C1V1= C2V2??
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: Borek on April 03, 2009, 10:37:04 AM
Write reaction equation.
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: yankeekd25 on April 03, 2009, 10:41:59 AM
Write reaction equation.

CH3CH2NH3+ + OH- <-> CH3CH2NH2 + H2O

Now what?
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: Borek on April 03, 2009, 05:29:56 PM
This is not the reaction taking place.

You should look at the (correct) reaction equation to find out how the stoichiometry is related to the amount of acid and conjugate base.
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: yankeekd25 on April 04, 2009, 08:49:54 AM
Write reaction equation.

CH3CH2NH3+ + OH- <-> CH3CH2NH2 + H2O

Now what?

CH3CH2NH3+ + H+ <-> CH3CH2NH4+ + H2O

I believe that is correct now.
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: Borek on April 04, 2009, 11:50:06 AM
No, it is still wrong. Charge is not balanced. Seems to me like you have no idea how amines are protonated.

Do you know what happens to ammonia in water? When you add acid? Same with amines.
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: yankeekd25 on April 05, 2009, 10:26:41 AM
NH3 + H2O --> NH4+ + OH-


NH3 + H+ --> NH4 + H2O
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: Borek on April 05, 2009, 04:24:45 PM
NH3 + H+ --> NH4 + H2O

Perhaps its nitpicking, but charges are not balanced.

This way I will never know if what you write is wrong because you are making typos, or because you don't understand what you are doing. Hard to help in such situation.
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: yankeekd25 on April 05, 2009, 11:41:04 PM
NH3 + H2O --> NH4+ + OH-


NH3 + H+ --> NH4 + H2O

Just made a typo on the last rxn. It's NH4+ + H2O right?
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: Borek on April 06, 2009, 03:24:21 AM
Yes, and that's almost the same as the necessary reaction of amine.

How many moles of conjugated acid do you need in the final solution?
Title: Re: How much of a buffer needed to achieve a given pH?
Post by: yankeekd25 on April 06, 2009, 08:39:36 AM
Yes, and that's almost the same as the necessary reaction of amine.

How many moles of conjugated acid do you need in the final solution?

Would it be .328 M x .225 L= 0.0738 ?