What amounts of sodium benzoate would be required to prepare 2.5L of 0.35M benzoic buffer solution with a pH of 6.10? Ka of benzoic acid = 6.5 x 10-5 MW benzoic acid, HC7H5O2, is 122.01 MW sodium benzoate, NaC7H5O2, is 144.01

Benzoic acid, HC7H5O2 is in equilibrium with its conjugate base, C7H5O2⁻ producing a buffer. The pH of the buffer can be determined following H-H equation:

pH = pKa + log [C7H5O2⁻] / [HC7H5O2] (1)

Where pH is desire pH = 6.10 pKa is -log Ka = 4.187 and [] are molar concentrations of the buffer.

As you want to prepare 2.5L of a 0.35M of buffer, moles of buffer are:

2.5L ₓ (0.35mol / L) = 0.875moles of buffer.

And you can write:

0.875 moles = [C7H5O2⁻] + [HC7H5O2] (2)

Replacing (2) in (1)

pH = pKa + log [C7H5O2⁻] / [HC7H5O2]

6.10 = 4.187 + log [C7H5O2⁻] / [HC7H5O2]

1.913 = log [C7H5O2⁻] / [HC7H5O2]

81.846 = 0.875mol - [HC7H5O2] / [HC7H5O2]

81.846 [HC7H5O2] = 0.875mol - [HC7H5O2]

82.846 [HC7H5O2] = 0.875mol

[HC7H5O2] = 0.01056 moles

And moles of the benzoate, [C7H5O2⁻]:

[C7H5O2⁻] = 0.875mol - 0.01056mol =

[C7H5O2⁻] = 0.8644mol

Using molar mass of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate, amount of each compound you must add to prepare 2.5L of the buffer are:

Benzoic acid: 0.01056mol ₓ (122.01g/mol) = 1.288g

Sodium benzoate: 0.8644mol ₓ (144.01g/mol) = 124.482g