Both Kool Aid and Gatorade contain buffers. For the buffer in Kool Aid, pKa1 ≈ 3.70, pKa2 ≈ 4.90, pKa3 ≈ 6.50 and for the buffer in Gatorade, pKa1 ≈ 4.50, pKa2 ≈ 5.40, pKa3 ≈ 6.70.
Discussion of Theory
A buffer capacity is the maximum amount of hyrdrogen or hydroxide ion that can be added to a buffered solution before a significant change in the pH occurs. Increasing the concentration of the buffer can increase the buffer capacity of a solution. At the half equivalence point, the moles of base added to the acid is equivalent to half the moles of acid originally present. Thus, the amount of the weak acid and its conjugate base are equal. According to the Henderson-Hasselbach equation, when [Conjugate Base]/[Acid] is equal to 1, then