Buffering Lipid Synthesis by Conditional Inhibition

Buffer solutions do not have an unlimited capacity to keep the pH relatively constant . Instead, the ability of a buffer solution to resist changes in pH relies on the presence of appreciable amounts of its conjugate weak acid-base pair. When enough strong acid or base is added to substantially lower the concentration of either member of the buffer pair, the buffering action within the solution is compromised.
The buffer capacity is the amount of acid or base that can be added to a given volume...

A solution containing appreciable amounts of a weak conjugate acid-base pair is called a buffer solution, or a buffer. Buffer solutions resist a change in pH when small amounts of a strong acid or a strong base are added. A solution of acetic acid and sodium acetate is an example of a buffer that consists of a weak acid and its salt: CH3COOH (aq) + CH3COONa (aq). An example of a buffer that consists of a weak base and its salt is a solution of ammonia and ammonium chloride: NH3 (aq) + NH4Cl...

Buffers
When an Arrhenius acid (HA) is added to water, it dissociates into its conjugate base (A-) and a hydrogen cation (H+).
HA + H2O → H+(aq) + A-(aq)
The amount of hydrogen ions present in the solution determines the acidity of the solution, where more hydrogen ions indicate a lower or more acidic pH. Similarly, when a strong Arrhenius base (BOH) is added to water, it dissociates into its conjugate acid (B+) and a hydroxide ion (OH-).
BOH + H2O → B+(aq) + OH-(aq)
Generally, the addition...

Source: Smaa Koraym at Johns Hopkins University, MD, USA

Source: Smaa Koraym at Johns Hopkins University, MD, USA

Buffer capacity is the quantitative measure of a buffer to resist the change in pH. As shown in the following equation, the buffer capacity, denoted by 'beta', is expressed as the number of moles of acid or base needed to change the pH of a one-liter buffer solution by 1 unit. Here, Ca and Cb indicate the number of moles of acid and base, respectively. Note that dpH represents the change in pH.
In the graph, pH is plotted as a function of the number of moles of base (Cb) added to a weak...