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buffer solution that can keep its relative acidity or alkalinity constant, i.e., keep its p H constant, despite the addition of strong acids or strong bases. Buffer solutions are frequently solutions that contain either a weak acid and one of its salts or a weak base and one of its salts. Many acid-base reactions take place in living organisms. However, for organisms to perform certain vital functions, the body fluids associated with these functions must maintain a constant p H. For example, blood must maintain a p H of close to 7.4 in order to carry oxygen from the lungs to cells; blood is therefore a powerful buffer.

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buffer

A Dictionary of Ecology | 2004 | | Â© A Dictionary of Ecology 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

buffer A solution of a weak acid and its conjugate weak base that resists changes in pH which would otherwise result from the addition of an acid or base. The buffering properties of weak electrolytes in living organisms are of great importance, since most cells can survive only within narrow pH limits.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "buffer." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "buffer." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (November 11, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-buffer.html

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