Aqueous solutions of various strong and weak electrolytes are carefully prepared. Which of the follo — Ionic Equilibrium Chemistry Question
Question
Aqueous solutions of various strong and weak electrolytes are carefully prepared. Which of the following pairs of solutions, upon mixing in exactly equal volumes, will successfully constitute a functioning buffer solution?
💡 Solution & Explanation
A functioning buffer strictly requires a conjugate weak acid-base pair. Option A directly mixes a weak acid and its salt, creating an acidic buffer. Option B mixes a weak acid salt with a limiting amount of strong acid, neutralizing some salt to produce weak acid while leaving unreacted salt, perfectly creating a buffer. Option C directly mixes a weak base and its salt, forming a basic buffer. Option D mixes a weak base with a strong base, which utterly fails to form a buffer system (it's simply a strongly basic mixture).