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buffer

A mixture of a weak acid & its conjugate base (salt) for example: 1) H2CO3/HCO3- 2) H2PO4-/HPO4= when present in a solution reduces changes in pH that would occur when H+ or OH- is added to the solution. The buffering capacity is greatest at the pka of the acid when concentrations of the weak acid & its conjugate base are equal.

References

  1. Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999