Buffers and Standards for Diverse Chemical Applications

In biological systems, maintenance of pH is critical as it affects the functionality of macromolecules. Buffers consist of aqueous solutions of weak acids and their conjugate bases, or weak bases and their conjugate acids. Ideal buffers will possess a neutral pKa, high water solubility, and be nontoxic to cells and inert to other components present.

High purity standards of single elements are important for calibration and reference use in analytical and environmental applications that include ICP, DCP, and mass spectrometry.