Chemical Basis of Life

A buffer is a solution that contains a weak acid and its corresponding base. A buffer minimizes changes in pH when acids or bases are added to the solution. You can search the dictionary for the definition of the buffer.

A polar covalent bond occurs between 2 nonmetals. Nonmetals are located on the right hand side of the periodic table. In a polar covalent bond, the electrons are shared. The shared electrons are pulled closer to the more electronegative atom, making it slightly negative and the other atom slightly positive.