buffer

buffer /buf·fer/ (buf´er)

1. a chemical system that prevents changes in hydrogen ion concentration.

2. a physical or physiological system that tends to maintain constancy.

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buff·er (bfr)

n.

A substance that minimizes change in the acidity of a solution when an acid or base is added to the solution.

v.

To treat a solution with a buffer.

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buffer,

n a substance in a fluid that tends to lessen the change in hydrogen ion concentration that otherwise would be produced by adding acids or alkalis.

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buffer Chemistry A chemical system that minimizes the effects, in particular the pH, of changes in the concentration of a substance