Inv. 4.1: Organisms & pH
1. Summarize the effects of HCl and NaOH on tap water.
1. Adding HCl and NaOH had large effects on the pH of tap water, greatly
reducing and raising the pH respectively.
2. Summarize the effects of HCl and NaOH on biological materials, like
orange juice and egg whites.
2. Adding HCl and NaOH had small effects on the pH of biological materials,
changing their pH very little.
3. When you added HCl and NaOH to the buffer, was it more similar to a
biological material or tap water?
3. The buffer acted more like a biological material than tap water.
4. Would buffers aid or hinder the maintenance of homeostasis within a
living cell in a changing environment?
4. Buffers would aid the maintenance of homeostasis within a living cell in
a changing environment by helping to keep the cell’s internal conditions
stable.
5. What does the model suggest about a mechanism for regulating pH in
an organism?
5. The data suggests that organisms have buffers for regulating their pH.