Water, Acids, Bases, and Buffers

Water= H2O
Objectives :
What is water?
 List the characteristics of water.
Describe what is acid and base ??
 Illustrate the pH scale 0-14
 List the major sources of hydrogen ions in the body.
 Explain how blood pH is maintained and why ??

Explain the clinical aspect of PH disorder :acidosis and alkalosis

 What is Water= H2O ?

 It is chemical compound having 2H and 1 O molecules

 About 60-90 percent of an organism is water

It is the predominant chemical components of living

organisms.

The Properties of Water Affect the Bonding Abilities of

Biomolecules

The polar organic and inorganic biomolecules of living

cells exist and interact primarily in an aqueous environment
3
• Weak interactions are the key means by which molecules
interact with one another, enzymes with their substrates,
hormones with their receptors, antibodies with their
antigens.
• The strength and specificity of weak interactions are
highly dependent on the medium in which they take place,
and the majority of biological interactions take place in
water.
• The special chemical properties of water make it ideal as
the main physiologic solvent for polar substances in the
body.
1. Within water molecule, the oxygen nucleus draws
electrons away from the hydrogen atoms, magnetic or
polar.
2. Substances that dissolve well in water are referred to as
polar or hydrophilic.
3. Molecules that dissolve sparingly in water are nonpolar
or hydrophobic.
B. Water molecules bind with each other through important
noncovalent interactions called hydrogen bonds.
1. Hydrogen bonds result from attraction between the
partially positively charged hydrogen atoms of one
molecule and the electronegative atom, usually oxygen or
nitrogen, of another molecule.
2. Hydrogen bonds are weak and rapidly break and re-form
up to 1012 times per second in water at 25°C.
Approximately 60% of
our body is water
=It acts as a solvent for
the substances we need
=It is important for the
transport of molecules
 It is important for
 Transport of nutrient to cell and waste from cell

Transport hormones, enzymes, blood cells.

Act as a solvent for electrolytes and nonelectrolytes

Facilitate digestion and promote elimination

 participates in many chemical reactions.

Dehydration (synthesis) and Hydrolysis (degradation)

 An excellent temperature buffer.

Absorbs and releases heat very slowly

 Properties of Water…
1, Cohesion
•Attraction between particles of the same substance (why
water is attracted to itself)
•Results in Surface tension (a measure of the strength of
water’s surface)
•Produces a surface film on water that allows insects to walk
on the surface of water
2,Adhesion
•Attraction between two different substances.
•Water will make hydrogen bonds with other surfaces such
as glass, soil, plant tissues, and cotton.
•Capillary action-water molecules will “tow” each other
along when in a thin glass tube.
•Example: transpiration process which plants and trees
remove water from the soil, and paper towels soak up water.
3, High Specific Heat
•Amount of heat needed to raise or lower 1g of a substance
by 1° C.
•Water resists temperature change, both for heating and
cooling.
•Water can absorb or release large amounts of heat energy
with little change in actual temperature.
4,Polarity
Covalent bonds between oxygen and hydrogen atoms
Oxygen atom is more electronegative than hydrogen atom -->
electrons spend more time around oxygen atom than hydrogen
atom --> result is a POLAR covalent bond.
5) Hydrogen bonds
Attraction of water molecules with each other.
Creates hydrogen bonds = attraction of one slightly positive
hydrogen atom of one water molecule and one slightly negative
oxygen atom of another water molecule.
The length of the bond is about twice that of a covalent
bond.
6) Universal solvent
Solubility of organic molecules in water depends on polarity and the
ability to form hydrogen bonds with water.
Functional groups on molecules that confer solubility:
Carboxylates
Protonated amines
Amino
Hydroxyl
Carbonyl
As the number of polar groups increases in a molecule, so does its
solubility in water.
 7. High dielectric constant
• Water has a high dielectric constant, which is a
measure of its ability to carry electrical current, as it
does in nerve cells
8. Water has a high heat of vaporization
• the amount of heat needed to convert from liquid to gas
phase. In conjunction with its high heat capacity, this
property allows water to carry away heat efficiently as
it evaporates, which accounts for the cooling effects of
perspiration.
Acids and Bases
What Is Acid ?

What Is Base ?
 Acids and Bases.
An acid is a substance that can Release hydrogen ions

(protons),

 base is a substance that can Accept hydrogen ions.

 When dissolved in water, almost all the molecules of a strong

acid dissociate and release their hydrogen ions, but only a

small percentage of the total molecules of a weak acid

 Properties of Acids

They taste Sour (don’t try this at home).

They can Conduct electricity.

React with metals to form H2 gas.

Change the color of indicators : Blue litmus turns to Red.

React with bases to form water and a salt.

They have a pH of less than 7

 Properties of Bases
React with acids to form water and a salt.

Taste bitter.

Feel slippery (don’t try this either).

Can be strong or weak electrolytes in aqueous solution

Change the color of indicators (red litmus turns blue).

 pH
pH is a measure of
hydrogen ion
concentration; a measure
of the acidity or alkalinity
of a solution. ... Aqueous
solutions at 25°C with
a pH less than seven are
acidic, while those with
a pH greater than seven
are basic or alkaline.
 Neutral solution is because [H] and [OH] are equal. pH = 7
Acidic solutions have a greater [H] and a lower [OH] (pH <
7.0),
Basic solutions have a lower [H] and a greater [OH] (pH > 7.0).
pH refers to Potential Hydrogen
The pH scale from 0 to 14
Physiologically important Sources of Hydrogen ions (H +)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) :carbonic acid (H2CO3);

Anaerobic respiration of glucose: lactic acid production.

Fatty Acid Oxidation: Acidic ketone bodies.

Sulfur containing amino acid: H2SO4

Hydrolysis of phosphoprotein. H3PO4

food source like citrus fruits

Medical drugs may stimulate HCl secretion

 Major Physiologically important acids cont…

Phosphoric acid
Lactic
acid
Pyruvic acid

26

Carbonic acid
Physiologically important bases include:
– Bicarbonate (HCO3- )
– Biphosphate (HPO4-2 )

Biphosphat
e

27

Bicarbonate
 Acid-base Balance

The normal range of blood PH?

Why H+ regulation is essential?
Defenses Against Changes in H+ Ion Concentration ?
 Effects of pH,[H+]

The most general effect of pH changes are:

 On enzyme/protein function
Affect excitability of nerve &muscle cells

Excitability
pH

Excitability
pH
 What is Buffers ?
•A buffer solution is a solution that in some way has the ability
to maintain a stable composition when various components
are added or removed.
•Buffers, is a solution containing either a weak acid and
its salt or a weak base and its salt, which is resistant to changes
in pH. In other words, a buffer is an aqueous solution of either
a weak acid and its conjugate base or a weak base and its
conjugate acid.
•Resist to changes in pH when hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions
are added.
•If pH increases or decreases, the buffer system acts to
bring pH back to normal values.
 why the pH maintenance is important in body?
•Our bodies live and die at the cellular level. The billions
of cells in our bodies must maintain alkalinity, in order to
function and stay alive.
•first line of defense against disease is a proper pH balance.
•Disease can only grow in an acidic body, which makes a
condition favorable for the growth of bacteria, yeast,
fungus, mold, viruses, and any other unwanted organisms.
•Cancer always strikes those with an over-acidic body.
• An acidic state causes a lack of oxygenation at the
cellular level.
• When the pH level falls below 7.4, there is less than the
maximum oxygen in the blood.
• Blood carries the maximum oxygen at pH 7.4 (alkaline).
• Not only do foods make your body alkaline or acidic.
Emotions such as anger, hate, sadness, despair, and
loneliness also change your body chemistry to acidic.
• Happy emotions, such as love, make your body pH
alkaline.
• The optimal pH level is between 7.2-7.4
To maintain the pH of body fluids in a range compatible with life:

Buffers Chemicals (rapid but short-term )such as :

Bicarbonate, phosphate, and hemoglobin

Respiratory mechanisms (rapid, eliminates CO2 ):

Remove carbonic acid through the expiration of CO2,

Kidneys (slow, powerful)

Excrete acid as ammonium ion (NH4 ) and other ions.
Amino acid Buffering Action
 .
The following Normal Values are determined by
blood gas analyzer: for Blood Buffer in Arterial
Blood
– pH 7.35 – 7.45

– PCO2 35 – 45 mm Hg

– H2CO3 2.4 mmoles/L of plasma

– HCO3- 24 mmoles/L of plasma

– PO2 80 – 110 mm Hg
 Disorders of pH Balance
Respiratory
Respiratory Acidosis
Respiratory Alkalosis
Metabolic
Metabolic Acidosis
Metabolic alkalosis
 1.Respiratory Acidosis: CO2 ↑ pH ↓

Is caused by ↓ in respiratory rate &retention of CO2.

↑ P CO2,causes an ↑ in [H+] and [HCO3-] by mass action.

There is no respiratory compensation for respiratory

acidosis.

Renal compensation : ↑ excretion of H+ as NH4+, and

CO2
CO2 pH
CO2 CO2
↑ reabsorption of "new" HCO3-.CO2

CO2 CO2 CO2

CO2 pH CO2
 2.Respiratory Alkalosis: CO2 ↓ pH ↑

Is caused by in ↑ respiratory rate and loss of CO2•

↓ PCO2,causes a ↓ in [H+] and [HCO3-] by mass action.

There is no respiratory compensation for respiratory

alkalosis.

Renal compensation: ↓ excretion of H+ as NH4+, and

CO2 CO2
CO2
CO2 CO2 CO2
↓ reabsorption
CO2 of "new"
CO
HCO3-.
CO2
CO2
CO2
2
CO2 ↓ pH ↑ Cont…
Symptoms: Increased rate and depth of breathing, deadzess,
light-headedness, tetany
Can be the result of:
– 1) Nervousness, emotional disturbances
– 2) Respiratory center lesions (Brain tumor)
– 3) Fever
– 4) Salicylate poisoning (overdose)
– 5) High altitude (low PO2)
 3.Metabolic Acidosis: H+ ↑ pH ↓

Overproduction or ingestion of fixed acid or loss of base

produces an increase in arterial [H+] (Acidemia)

Caused by: RF,DM, LA

HCO3- is used to buffer the extra fixed acid. As a result,

the

arterial [HCO3-] decreases

 4.Metabolic alkalosis
 Metabolic alkalosis may occur because of a loss of H+ or due
to retention of excess HCO3 which may result from the
following:
–Loss of stomach acid through excessive vomiting.
–Ingestion of an alkalinizing drug such as sodium bicarbonate.
–Changes in renal HCO3
− If the pH remains above 7.55, as in severe alkalosis, arteriolar
constriction may lead to reduced cerebral blood flow, tetany,
seizure or, potentially, death.
 Compensation
Primary disorder componsetion
Metabolic acidosis Increased ventilation
Increased renal excretion of H+ in
the distal tubule
Metabolic alkalosis Decreased ventilation
Respiratory acidosis Increased renal reabsorption of HCO3-
in the proximal tubule
Increased renal excretion of H in the
distal tubule
Respiratory alkalosis Decreased renal reabsorption of
HCO3-
in the proximal tubule
Decreased renal excretion of H+ in the
distal tubule
 Any ?
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