buffer

(buf'ur) [Translation through the German (buffer or puffer) of the French word tampon, used by Sorensen in his articles (written in French) on this subject.] term applied to the potential alkalinity of the blood, as determined by the amount of carbon dioxide it will take up, which acts as an intermediary between a tendency to acidosis and the normal alkalinity, b. salts, certain substances, such as monacid and diacid sodium phosphates and sodium bicarbonate, contained in the blood, which tend to fix any slight exce of acid or alkali, acting therefore as a "tampon" to absorb the exce of such acid or alkali; or it may be conceived to act as a "buffer" to ease the shock which such exce would otherwise cause, b. value of the blood, the ability of the blood to care for acid-alkali fluctuations without disturbance of the hydrogen-ion concentration.