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The global pH balance
Acid-base chemistry is all around us. It is crucial to maintanence of health for humans and other living beings. However, there are continaual assaults on the pH balance of the planet as well as our own gastrointenstinal tract. Buffers are so important for everything from acid indigestion to maintaing good crop yields, forest health, fish populations and so on. There are natural buffers in the blood, stomach and other organs that have the ability to interact with the external environment. Lakes and the ocean have a pH balance. The soil has a pH balance. All of these are in danger of being upset by various oxides that are being introduced into the environemnt by industrial processes, burning of fossil fuels and modern agriculture. There are great challenges in our time that will center on the understading of the global pH balance.
Challenges can also bring opportunities to implement new technologies and to solve environmental problems. This section of the course is extrememly important and practical from the point of view of understanding chemical problems in the world. Hopefully, the process of learning about these problems will also give rise to new ideas. The starting point is to understand both natural and man-made buffers. How do they work and what happens when buffer capacity is exceeded? Are there ways to extend the buffer range? Are there alternative processes that can neutralize some of the excess acid that has been introduced into our ecosystem. It is likely that we can counteract some of the most serious consequences of acidification if we can solve the energy problem and decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. Understanding all of these interrelationships is crucial to an informed understanding of the choices that confront modern technological society.
The health aspects of pH regulation are also discussed briefly. The study of various types of buffers will hopefully give you an idea of the importance of thinking about such a simple thing as the choice of buffer in an experiment. Indeed, whether the research concerns human health, the environment or synthesis of new materials choosing the right buffer is crucial to obtaining reproducible and reliable results.
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