pH indicator. A dye that is an acid and that appears as different colors in its protonated and deprotonated forms can be used as
a pH indicator. Suppose that you have a 0.001 M solution of a dye with a p Ka of 7.2. From the color, the concentration of the protonated form is found to be 0.0002 M. Assume that the remainder of the dye is in the deprotonated form. What is the pH of the solution? Berg, Jeremy M.. Biochemistry (p. 24). W. H. Freeman. Kindle Edition.
The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation may be used to solve the problem:
pH = pKa + log([A⁻] / [HA])
The solution of concentration 0.001 M is a formal concentration, which means that it is the sum of the concentrations of the different forms of the acid. In order to find the concentration of the deprotonated form, the following equation is used:
[HA] + [A⁻] = 0.001 M
[A⁻] = 0.001 M - 0.0002 M = 0.0008 M
The values can then be substituted into the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation:
