Chemical level of organisation Flashcards
What are the major fluid compartments of the body and approximately what percent of fluid is in each?
Intracellular fluid (65%) Extracellular fluid - Interstitial fluid (25%) - Blood plasma and lymph (8%) - Transcellular fluid (2%)
What is a solvent and solute?
Solvent is water
Solute is everything dissolved in water in the body
What is pH?
The concentration of H+ ions in a solution
What is an ion? What about ion in aqueous solution?
Charged atoms, or group of atoms
In solution is electrolyte
What is a cation?
a positively charged ion
What is an anion?
A negatively charged ion
What should the pH of blood be?
7.35 - 7.45
What are three of the most important nutrients needed to sustain human life?
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Lipids
What is a covalent bond?
Two or more atoms sharing electrons
What is a polar molecule?
When the electrons in a covalent bond are not equally shared and one side of the molecule becomes slightly positive and one side slightly negative
Does a solution with a high concentration of H+ have a high or low pH? What sort of solution is this?
Low pH, acidic solution
What is a neutral solution?
One with the same amount of H+ ions and base anions
What is a buffer?
a mechanism which resists pH change by converting strong acid or base into a weak one
What is a physiological buffer? which systems are involved in this?
a system which stabilises pH by controlling output of acids, bases or CO2. The urinary and respiratory systems are involved. The urinary system effects pH the most, but is slow to react. the respiratory system changes pH quickly, but can not affect it as much.
What is a chemical buffer?
substances which either bind to H+ to remove them, or releases H+ into a solution. three major systems: bicarbonate, phosphate and protein