Salt hydrolysis and buffer solutions

What this note covers

1. Why dissolved salts can be acidic, basic or neutral
2. Polyprotic acids, amphiprotic ions and competing hydrolysis
3. What a buffer contains and why the pair must be conjugate
4. How a buffer responds to added acid and added base
5. Buffering capacity and the limits of qualitative prediction
6. Exam method: classify, write the transfer, then explain the shift

6 sections · 10 key terms & formulas · 6 common mistakes