You wish to prepare a buffer consisting of acetic acid and sodium acetate with a total acetic acetate plus acetate concentration of 250 mm and a ph of 5. what concentrations of acetic acid and sodium acetate should you use

Ans: Acetic acid = 90.3 mM and Sodium acetate = 160 mM

Given:

Acetic Acid/Sodium Acetate buffer of pH = 5.0

Let HA = acetic acid

A- = sodium acetate

Total concentration [HA] + [A-] = 250 mM (1)

pKa(acetic acid) = 4.75

Based on Henderson-Hasselbalch equation

pH = pKa + log[A-]/[HA]

[A-]/[HA] = 10^(pH-pKa) = 10^(5-4.75) = 10^0.25 = 1.77

[A-] = 1.77[HA] (2)

From (1) and (2)

[HA] + 1.77[HA] = 250 mM

[HA] = 250/2.77 = 90.25 mM

[A-] = 1.77(90.25) = 159.74 mM

it is the most commonly accepted one