Blood

Question 1

What is the blood’s main function?

Answer 1

To transport materials to and from cells

Question 2

What is haemoglobin?

Answer 2

A protein that contains iron and can carry oxygen

Question 3

For the blood to transport materials to and from cells, what are red bloods cells packed with?

Answer 3

Haemoglobin

Question 4

What is formed when oxygen combines with haemoglobin?

Answer 4

It forms oxyhaemoglobin

Question 5

When there’s a lot of oxygen present how many molecules of haemoglobin can combine with how many molecules of oxygen to make the haemoglobin 100% saturated?

Answer 5

When there’s a lot of oxygenpresnt, 1 molecule of haemoglobin can combine with 4 molecules of oxygen - the haemoglobin is 100% saturated

Question 6

When less oxygen is present, fewer molecules of oxygen combine and what happens to the haemoglobin?

Answer 6

The haemoglobin is less than 100% saturated

Question 7

In a graph of ‘%saturation of haemoglobin’ against ‘concentration of oxygen’, when the results are plotted, what is the shape of the line of best fit?

Answer 7

S-shaped

Question 8

What do the special properties of haemoglobin allow it to do?

Answer 8

Become fully saturated with oxygen in the capillaries around the alveoli of the lungs, where there’s a high concentration of oxygen

Question 9

When haemoglobin reaches respiring tissue, where there’s less oxygen, what does it do with its oxygen, and this means what?

Answer 9

It can give up most of its oxygen immediately - so the rate of respiration in the tissues isn’t slowed down because of an oxygen shortage

Question 10

What do respiring tissues produce?

Answer 10

Carbon dioxide

Question 11

What happens if there’s not a lot of carbon dioxide present?

Answer 11

The haemoglobin is less efficient at taking up oxygen (i.e it needs to be exposed to more oxygen befor it becomes fully saturated)

Question 12

What happens when there’s a lot of carbon dioxide present?

Answer 12

The haemoglobin becomes more efficient at releasing oxygen (i.e it can release more oxygen molecules in areas of fairly high oxygen demand)

Question 13

The haemoglobin becomes more efficient at releasing oxygen (i.e it can release more oxygen molecules in areas of fairly high oxygen demand) - why is this good?

Answer 13

This is good because it means that rapidly respiring tissues e.g contracting leg muscles and brain cells get more oxygen

Question 14

What is the effect of carbon dioxide concentration on the oxygen-binding properties of haemoglobin known as?

Answer 14

The Bohr effect