Final answer:
A protonated Tris buffer carries a positive charge while a deprotonated Tris buffer is neutral. Protonation involves the gain of a proton, resulting in a positively charged conjugate acid, and deprotonation involves the loss of a proton, resulting in a neutral conjugate base.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked a question about the structure of a protonated and deprotonated Tris buffer. To answer the question, we first need to understand what protonation and deprotonation mean. Protonation occurs when a compound, typically a base, gains a proton (a hydrogen ion), whereas deprotonation occurs when an acid loses a proton. Tris buffer, which is often used in biochemistry and molecular biology, can be protonated or deprotonated depending on the pH.
The correct answer to the structure of a protonated and deprotonated Tris buffer is: protonated Tris buffer has a positive charge and deprotonated Tris buffer has a neutral charge.
This is because when Tris gains a proton, it forms its conjugate acid, which carries a positive charge. When Tris loses a proton, it becomes its conjugate base, which is neutral in charge.