Class: BE210
Group: 102_A4
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The purpose of this lab will be to examine three buffers in the blood to estimate each buffer’s impact on maintaining a constant blood pH of 7.4.  The three main buffers are hemoglobin, bicarbonate, and phosphate .  Each buffer will be examined individually to experimentally determine its buffering capacity and pKa.  Additionally, a sample solution mirroring the contents of blood plasma will be created by combining the three buffers and the three major plasma proteins (serum albumin, fibrinogen, and gamma globulins).  These components will be added in their respective concentrations, as found in human blood plasma.  This sample's buffer capacities and pKa’s will then be compared to those of the individual buffers.  It is hypothesized that hemoglobin will be responsible for the greatest amount of buffering in the blood, followed by bicarbonate .