What is another word for phosphate buffer solution?
Pronunciation: [fˈɒsfe͡ɪt bˈʌfə səlˈuːʃən] (IPA)
Phosphate buffer solution refers to a mixture of phosphoric acid and its conjugate base, sodium, potassium or ammonium phosphate. This buffer solution is commonly used in biological and biochemical research, especially in enzymology, to maintain the pH of a solution. Other synonyms for this solution include "phosphate buffered saline", "phosphate buffered solution", "phosphate buffer system" and "phosphate buffer". The reason why this solution is used in biochemistry is that it has a pKa close to the physiological pH of the human body, making it ideal for maintaining the pH of biological samples. Other buffers can also be used for this purpose, including Tris buffer, HEPES buffer, and MOPS buffer, among others.