Acids, bases and buffers Flashcards

1
Q

What’s an acid (in terms of protons)?

A

Proton donor

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2
Q

What’s a base (in terms of protons)?

A

Proton acceptor

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3
Q

What’s a buffer?

A

A weak acid or base that acts to maintain H+ concentration

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4
Q

What is pH (in terms of logs)?

A

-log[H+]

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5
Q

Normal blood pH?

A

7.35 - 7.45

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6
Q

What is acidosis?

A

pH too low

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7
Q

What is alkalosis?

A

pH too high

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8
Q

Write out the Henderson Hasselbalch equation.

A

[H+] x [HCO3-] = K x pCO2

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9
Q

What is the Hend-Hass equation used for?

A

Calculate blood pH

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10
Q

What is the equation that goes on inside the body?

A

CO2 + H2O H2CO3 HCO3- + H+

Catalysed by carbonic acid

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11
Q

What is acidaemia?

A

Abnormal acidity of blood

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12
Q

What is alkalaemia?

A

Abnormal alkalinity of blood

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13
Q

How does respiratory acidosis occur?

A

Insufficient ventilation
CO2 retained
More carbonic acid in blood > acidosis

CO2 + H2O H2CO3 HCO3- + H+

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14
Q

What causes resp acidosis?

A

COPD, asthsma

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15
Q

How does metabolic acidosis occur?

A

Low bicarbonate levels in blood

CO2 + H2O H2CO3 HCO3- + H+

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16
Q

What causes metabolic acidosis?

A

Bicarb losses due to diarrhoea, renal failure, diabetic ketoacidosis

17
Q

How does respiratory alkalosis occur?

A

Blowing off too much CO2

CO2 + H2O H2CO3 HCO3- + H+

18
Q

What causes respiratory alkalosis?

A

COPD (type 1 resp failure)

Anxiety, fever

19
Q

How does metabolic alkalosis occur?

A

Loss of H+ or too much Bicarb (HCO3-)

20
Q

What causes metabolic alkalosis?

A

Excess vomiting (losing H+ from stomach)
Pyloric stenosis
Anorexia nervosa
Ingestion of bicarb

21
Q

What type of compensation occurs in metabolic acid/base disorders? Speed?

A

Rapid RESPIRATORY compensation

22
Q

What type of compensation occurs in respiratory acid/base disorders? Speed?

A

Eventual METABOLIC compensation

23
Q

What is an anion?

A

A negatively charged ion

24
Q

What is meant by the anion gap?

A

The difference in concentration of measured cations and anions

Gives us the concentration of unmeasured ions

25
Give some examples of unmeasured anions (whose total concentration can be calculated by the anion gap)?
Lactate Phosphate Sulphate Acetoacetate
26
Give the anion gap equation.
Gap = [Na+] + [K+] - [Cl-] - [HCO3-] K+ has little effect
27
What conditions does a wide anion gap point to?
Excess of unmeasured anions Ingestion of acid, ketoacidosis, renal failure
28
What conditions does a narrow anion gap point to?
High chloride GI HCO3- loss