Suppose I want to prepare 0.1M sodium citrate buffer of pH 3.0, I observed that most people use citric acid monohydrate (as weak acid) and sodium citrate dihydrate (as sodium salt of weak acid) why?
Citric acid has three pKa’s:
pKa1 = 3.13
pKa2 = 4.72
pKa3 = 6.40
Our desired buffer pH (0.1M sodium citrate buffer) is 3.0 which is close to pKa1 = 3.13, So we have to use citric acid monohydrate (as weak acid) and sodium citrate monobasic ( as sodium salt of weak acid) instead people using sodium citrate dihydrate (as sodium salt of weak acid) why?
Is there any specific reason for using sodium citrate dihydrate rather than sodium citrate monobasic (as sodium salt of weak acid)? If so then among three pKa’s which pKa we have to use in Haselblach-Henderson equation to calculate weight’s of each component to be added?