Answer:
CH₃CO₂H + H₂O ⇄ CH₃CO₂⁻ + H₃O⁺
Explanation:
A buffer is defined as the mixture of a weak acid and its conjugate base or vice versa.
For the acetic acid buffer, CH₃CO₂H is the weak acid and its conjugate base is the ion without H⁺, that is CH₃CO₂⁻. The equilibrium equation in water knowing this is:
<h3>CH₃CO₂H + H₂O ⇄ CH₃CO₂⁻ + H₃O⁺</h3>
<em>In the equilibrium, the acid is dissociated in the conjugate base and the hydronium ion.</em>
