Just to clarify,
the "teaching" on this list has been that the CO2/pH/KH
table relies on carbonic acid being the only one present.
So you are saying that that is false?
sh
--- Liz Wilhite <liz_wilhite at hotmail_com> wrote:
> >Just a point in passing. Doesn't H3PO4 throw off the
> >CO2/KH/pH table? By depressing pH, it should make the
> table
> >show more CO2 than you really haveSomething to keep in
> mind
> >if you're putting acids in the tank other than the
> carbonic
> >you get from CO2.
>
> No. Those tables are based on the Henderson-Hasselbach
> equation dealing
> with the dissociation of weak acids. If enough
> phosphoric acid is added to
> impact the carbonate buffer -- and I doubt the amount we
> are talking about
> does -- then not only will the pH shift but the KH will
> also shift. So, if
> you add enough phosphoric acid to cause a measurable
> change in the pH then
> you should measure KH. The equation is still valid.
>
> This is why various people try to remind everyone that
> you should
> occasionally check KH and GH even though they appear
> stable.
>
> The effect is probably not going to be all that much
> different than adding a
> substantial amount of KH2PO4 or K2HPO4 to a tank.
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