AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -And when we added the NaOH, the pH went from 5.8 to 6.6 after 30 drops. It is important to understand that potatoes are good buffers, because when they are growing in the ground and exposed to acids and bases, they are able to stay healthy because they can maintain the proper pH.

Detailed explanation-2: -The purpose of a buffer in a biological system is to maintain intracellular and extracellular pH within a very narrow range and resist changes in pH in the presence of internal and external influences.

Detailed explanation-3: -Buffer solutions maintain a stable pH by neutralizing added acids or bases. They consist of a weak acid and its conjugate base, which exchange protons and hydroxide ions to form water. The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation expresses the pH as a function of the PKa and the ratio of the base and acid concentrations.

Detailed explanation-4: -Solutions containing an acid and its conjugate base show a tendency to resist a change in their pH on addition of acids and bases. This property is called ‘buffer action, ’ and the solutions that show this behavior are called ‘buffer solutions’ or simply ‘buffers.’

Detailed explanation-5: -Buffers are solutions that moderate pH changes when an acid or base is added to the buffer system. Buffers are important in biological systems because of their ability to maintain constant pH conditions.