Hi, could someone please clear up a misconception I have about weak acid equilibriums and buffers?
If you have weak acid HA ⇌ A- + H+ and you add A-/H+, what will happen? I thought nothing would happen because there is virtually no H+/A- to react to form the HA acid due to it only slightly dissociating due to it being a weak acid? I know to make it a buffer solution you would add a salt, e.g. NaA --> Na+ + A- fully dissociating, which provides the A- for added H+ to react with. For previous buffer solutions I have just assumed that when one of the products (H+ or A-) is added by itself the concentration of HA remains constant and this has always worked for me. Sorry if this is rambling but I would really appreciate some help. Thanks.