Ch 2

Question 1

Define acid and base

Answer 1

Acid = H+ donor
Base = H+ acceptor/OH- donor

Question 2

What does a one unit change in pH indicate?

Answer 2

A ten-fold increase or decrease in hydrogen in concentration

Question 3

What is the pH of blood?

Answer 3

7.40 +/- 0.05

Question 4

What are physiological buffers?

Answer 4

Organs that allow for maintain of body pH (e.g. lungs, kidneys)

Question 5

Define solution

Answer 5

Solute + solvent

Question 6

Define tonicity and explain what happens to a cell in hyper-, iso-, and hypertonic solutions

Answer 6

Tonicity is the effect a solution will have in the pressure inside a cell (depends on permeability and concentration).
Hypertonic = cell crenates
Isotonic = cell retains its shape
Hypotonic = cell lyses

Question 7

What are factors that dictate the rate of diffusion of a solute?

Answer 7

Solute size
Temperature
Steepness of gradient
Membrane surface area
Membrane permeability

Question 8

How does water enter/exit the cell? Compare and contrast this process with how oxygen enters and leaves the cell.

Answer 8

Water enters and exits the cell via passive diffusion through aquaporins. Oxygen also permeates the cell through passive diffusion, but throughit does not require and transmembrane proteins to do so. This is because oxygen is nonpolar, and therefore can diffuse rapidly the cell membrane. Water, as a polar molecule, cannot diffuse rapidly enough for proper physiological functioning.