Final answer:
To make a carbonic acid buffer at 0.5 M and pH 6.0, mix equal molar amounts of NaHCO3 and H2CO3. For 100 mL at 0.5 M, mix 25 mL of 1.0 M HCl with 50 mL of 1.0 M NaHCO3 and dilute to 100 mL with water.
Step-by-step explanation:
To make 100 mL of a carbonic acid buffer at 0.5 M and pH = 6.0 using 1.0 M NaHCO3 and either 1.0 M NaOH or 1.0 M HCl, you first need to understand the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation:
pH = pKa + log([A-]/[HA])
For carbonic acid (pKa ≈ 6.1), when pH is 6.0:
6.0 = 6.1 + log([NaHCO3]/[H2CO3])
This suggests the ratio of [NaHCO3] to [H2CO3] should be close to 1:1. Solving for the concentrations:
log([NaHCO3]/[H2CO3]) = -0.1
[NaHCO3]/[H2CO3] ≈ 0.79
If you want a 0.5 M buffer, you'll need close to 0.25 M NaHCO3 and 0.25 M H2CO3.
To get H2CO3, you can add HCl to NaHCO3 since H2CO3 is not stable:
NaHCO3 + HCl → H2CO3 + NaCl
For 100 mL at 0.25 M, you would need 25 mmol of HCl. You would take 25 mL of 1.0 M HCl (because 25 mL × 1.0 M = 25 mmol) and add it to 50 mL of 1.0 M NaHCO3 (which provides 50 mmol NaHCO3) to keep the ratio. Then dilute to 100 mL with water.