A buffer is a combination of strong acid and its basic salt or a strong base and its acidic salt.
These buffer solutions are used to regulate the pH of a solution.
Enzyme reactions are sensitive to pH changes, so buffers become essential to maintain a stable pH.
The list of buffer solutions
The buffers can be listed as standard buffers and also specific buffers
Standard buffers are
- Hydrochloric acid buffer
- Acid phthalate buffer
- Phthalate buffer
- Phosphate buffer
- Alkaline borate buffer.
Specific buffers include
- Acetate buffer

- Acetic ammonia buffer
- Acetone buffer
- Ammonia buffer
- Barbitone buffer
- Buffered Copper sulfate solution
- Glycerin solution
- Glycine buffer solution
- Imidazole buffer
- Palladium chloride buffered solution
- Phosphate buffer (mixed)
- Standard buffers are the solutions that have a standard pH.
- They are used as reference standards for the measurement of pH.
- They are also used for chemical tests that need maintenance of specific pH.
- These standard buffers can be modified to regulate varying degrees of pH with appropriate combinations of solutions.
Hydrochloric acid buffer is prepared by a combination of the hydrochloric acid solution with a potassium chloride solution.
Hydrochloric acid (0.2M)
Hydrochloric acid is diluted with freshly boiled and cooled water to get 1000ml 7.292 g of HCl.
Potassium chloride (0.2M)
14.911 g of potassium chloride is dissolved in water and made to 1000ml.
| pH | The volume of 0.2M HCl in ml required |
| 1.2 | 85.0 |
| 1.3 | 67.2 |
| 1.4 | 53.2 |
| 1.5 | 41.4 |
| 1.6 | 32.4 |
| 1.7 | 26.0 |
| 1.8 | 20.4 |
| 1.9 | 16.2 |
| 2.0 | 13.0 |
| 2.1 | 10.2 |
| 2.2 | 7.8 |
Acid Phthalate buffer
- Take 50ml of 0.2M potassium hydrogen phthalate solution into a 200 ml volumetric flask.
- Then add below the mentioned volume of hydrochloric acids and make up the final volume with water.
| pH | Vol of 0.2M HCl (mL) to be used |
| 2.2 | 49.5 |
| 2.4 | 42.2 |
| 2.6 | 35.4 |
| 2.8 | 28.9 |
| 3.0 | 22.3 |
| 3.2 | 15.7 |
| 3.4 | 10.4 |
| 3.6 | 6.3 |
| 3.8 | 2.9 |
| 4.0 | 0.1 |
Neutralized phthalate buffer
- Into a 200ml volumetric flask, take 50ml of 0.2M Potassium hydrogen phthalate solution.
- Then add the mentioned volume of 0.2M sodium hydroxide solution and make up the final volume with water.
| pH | Volume if 0.2M NaOH (ml) |
| 4.2 | 3.0 |
| 4.4 | 6.6 |
| 4.6 | 11.1 |
| 4.8 | 16.5 |
| 5.0 | 22.6 |
| 5.2 | 28.8 |
| 5.4 | 34.1 |
| 5.6 | 38.8 |
| 5.8 | 42.3 |
Phosphate buffer:
- Take 50ml of 0.2M of potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution into a 200ml flask.
- Then add 0.2m NaOH solution of defined volume in the table. Make up the final volume with water and shake the flask well.
| pH | Volume of 0.2M NaOH (mL) |
| 5.8 | 3.6 |
| 6.0 | 5.6 |
| 6.2 | 8.1 |
| 6.4 | 11.6 |
| 6.6 | 16.4 |
| 6.8 | 22.4 |
| 7.0 | 29.1 |
| 7.2 | 34.7 |
| 7.4 | 39.1 |
| 7.6 | 42.4 |
| 7.8 | 44.5 |
| 8.0 | 46.1 |
Alkaline borate buffer:
- Add 50ml of 0.2M boric acid and 0.2M potassium chloride in a 200ml volumetric flask.
- To this mixture add a specified volume of 0.2 M NaOH and makeup to the final volume.
| pH | Volume of 0.2N NaOH (mL) |
| 8.0 | 3.9 |
| 8.2 | 6.0 |
| 8.4 | 8.6 |
| 8.6 | 11.8 |
| 8.8 | 15.8 |
| 9.0 | 20.8 |
| 9.2 | 26.4 |
| 9.4 | 32.1 |
| 9.6 | 36.9 |
| 9.8 | 40.6 |
| 10 | 43.7 |

