Acid-Base Balance - BUFFER MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING pH OF BODY FLUIDS Flashcards
Substances that prevent marked change in pH of solution when an acid or base is added to it. What is it?
Buffers
True / False
Consist of strong acid (or its acid salt) and basic salt of that acid
False
Consist of WEAK acid (or its acid salt) and basic salt of that acid
What are the main buffer pairs present in body fluids?
carbonic acid
proteins
hemoglobin
acid phosphate paired with sodium and potassium salts of these weak acids
Action of buffers to prevent what?
marked changes in pH of body fluids
Nonvolatile acids. What are some examples and what is it buffered mainly by?
such as hydrochloric acid, lactic acid, and ketone bodies, buffered mainly by sodium bicarbonate
Volatile acids What are some examples and what is it buffered mainly by?
chiefly carbonic acid, buffered mainly by potassium salts of hemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin
What makes it possible for carbonic acid to be buffered in the red blood cell and then carried as bicarbonate in the plasma?
The chloride shift
The chloride shift is the passage of chloride ions from the what into the what when carbon dioxide enters the plasma from the tissues and their return to the plasma when the carbon dioxide is discharged in the lungs (it is a major factor both in maintenance of blood pH and in transport of carbon dioxide)
blood plasma
red blood cells
Bases buffered mainly by what acid (when homeostasis of pH at what exists)
carbonic acid
7.4
What is the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation?
is a mathematical formula that explains the relationship between hydrogen ion concentration of body fluids and the ratio of base bicarbonate to carbonic acid
True/False
Buffers are vital, but they cannot maintain normal pH without adequate functioning of respiratory and urinary pH control mechanisms
True
