[rctrackstar2007]

What are your thoughts on the use of the Henderson-Hasselbach equation? Usefull or not? Or should we just stick with the original ICE method?

[Alberto_Kravina]

What are your thoughts on the use of the Henderson-Hasselbach equation? Usefull or not?

Why shouldn't it be useful? I think that it is useful, you can save quite a lot of time using H&H equation

Well, I'm pretty sure that Borek will add some other stuff....

[mrdeadman]

What are your thoughts on the use of the Henderson-Hasselbach equation? Usefull or not? Or should we just stick with the original ICE method?

it is definately useful however it does not really matter which you use. pick whichever one works for you.

[Borek]

What are your thoughts on the use of the Henderson-Hasselbach equation? Usefull or not? Or should we just stick with the original ICE method?

mrdeadman posted the most important thing - doesn't matter how you solve the question, as long as the answer is correct (and calculations are reasonable fast ).

However, I can't see link between ICE and HH, these are to different things with different uses. ICE if of no use when you have mix of acetic acid and some acetate, HH will not work when you need to calculate pH of formic acid.

[tamim83]

When I took general chem., I used the H.H. equation for buffer problems only, and ICE tables for everything else.  But when I was a UTA for one professor, he really never advocated using it since he said that students often confuse the [A-]/[HA] part.  ICE works for everthing, even buffer capacity problems (or so I was told).  I still use both and always introduced the H.H. equation to my students when they got stuck.  Anywho, H.H. equation is your friend.    

[Borek]

ICE works for everthing, even buffer capacity problems (or so I was told).

C stands for Change, in many buffer problems you are given two concentrations and are asked about pH - no Change, no ICE. Do you remember how your UTA prof did these things?

[tamim83]

Do you remember how your UTA prof did these things?

I think he just set the problem up like a regular weak acid ionization problem to find the pH for a buffer (ICE then plug into the acid ionization equilibrium expression).  He just claimed that the Henderson Hassenbach equation was simply derived from the equilibrium expression anyway, and you got the same answer (I think you do but it is a much harder way to do it).  The thing is, he skipped over buffer capacity problems for HW and tests, but he had me go over such a problem in recitation.  He claimed that I could work the problem in the same way, but I just used the H.H. equation since that is how I learned it and I thought it was a good way to introduce this equation to my students.  A lot of my students liked to use the H.H. equation for titration problems. 

[Donaldson Tan]

This question is so Borek. LOL.

[mrdeadman]

yeah, we use them for buffers too.