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Q1: Why is monosodium phosphate an effective buffer near pH 7?
Monosodium phosphate is effective near pH 7 because its pKa range is 6.8 to 7.2, which overlaps with the target pH. Buffers are most effective close to their pKa, where the weak acid and conjugate base are present in significant concentrations. This allows the buffer to resist pH changes when small amounts of acid or base are added.
Q2: What is the role of NaOH when preparing a monosodium phosphate buffer?
NaOH is added drop-wise to shift the equilibrium toward the conjugate base, disodium phosphate, without altering the overall buffer composition. Unadjusted monosodium phosphate solutions typically have a pH of 4–6, so NaOH raises the pH to the target value of 7.0 while maintaining the buffer's capacity to resist pH changes.
Q3: How do the protonated and deprotonated forms of neutral red differ in color and light absorption?
The protonated form of neutral red is red and absorbs green light, while the deprotonated form is yellow-orange and absorbs blue-violet light. These distinct absorption wavelengths allow researchers to track the ionization state of neutral red across different pH values using absorption spectroscopy.
Q4: How does protein binding affect the properties of neutral red?
Protein binding alters both the absorbance and pKa of neutral red. When riboflavin-binding protein binds to neutral red, the pKa increases by approximately one unit, indicating that bound-protonated neutral red is a weaker acid than free protonated neutral red by an order of magnitude.
Q5: What is the isosbestic point in an absorption spectrum?
The isosbestic point is the wavelength where all absorption spectra cross at a single point, regardless of pH. Recording this wavelength helps verify data quality and indicates a clean transition between the protonated and deprotonated forms of neutral red across the pH range tested.
Q6: How do you determine the pKa of neutral red from absorbance data?
Plot absorbance intensity at lambda max versus pH for both free and bound neutral red. Calculate the midpoint between the highest and lowest absorbance values, then find the pH at which this midpoint occurs on the plotted line. That pH value is the pKa of the compound.
Q7: Why is it important to handle cuvettes correctly during spectrophotometry?
Cuvettes must be held by their textured sides and have transparent sides wiped clean before measurement to ensure accurate absorbance readings. The transparent sides must align with the spectrophotometer's light beam. Proper handling prevents fingerprints and contamination that would interfere with light transmission and distort results.