Is this true or false?:A buffer can be destroyed by adding too much strong acid.
I thought that a buffer can be destroyed by adding too much weak acid, but I'm not sure...
Yes, it's true. Too much strong acid OR too much strong base will exceed the buffering capacity of the solution.
thank you!
Actually, a buffer can be destroyed by adding too much strong acid. A buffer is a solution that resists changes in pH when small amounts of acid or base are added. It is composed of a weak acid and its conjugate base (or a weak base and its conjugate acid). When strong acid is added to a buffer, it can react with the weak acid component of the buffer and shift the equilibrium towards the formation of more products, reducing the buffer capacity and changing the pH. Therefore, adding too much strong acid can disrupt the balance of the buffer system and ultimately destroy it.
You are correct! A buffer solution consists of a weak acid and its conjugate base (or a weak base and its conjugate acid). Buffers are designed to resist changes in pH when small amounts of acid or base are added to them. They do this by minimizing the change in the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) or hydroxide ions (OH-) in the solution.
Adding excessive amounts of a strong acid or a strong base to a buffer can disrupt the equilibrium and potentially destroy the buffer's ability to resist pH changes. However, in the context of your question, adding too much strong acid to a buffer is more likely to cause the buffer to be destroyed rather than adding too much weak acid.
The reason is that a strong acid will readily donate all of its hydrogen ions to the solution, overwhelming the weak acid in the buffer and shifting the equilibrium towards the formation of more water molecules. This disrupts the original buffer system and renders it ineffective. On the other hand, weak acids in a buffer solution only partially ionize, so adding more weak acid may increase the concentration of the acid but will not cause the buffer to lose its pH buffering capacity.
In summary, excessive addition of a strong acid can disrupt a buffer system and potentially destroy its ability to resist changes in pH, while adding more weak acid, although it may increase the concentration of the weak acid in the buffer, is less likely to destroy the buffer.