inorganic ions

Question 1

what inorganic ions are in living organisms?

Answer 1

• phosphate ions
• Fe2+
• Na+
• H+

Question 2

what are Fe2+ ions used for?

Answer 2

• needed for O2 transport by haemoglobin
• Fe2+ is in the centre of the haem group of haemoglobin and binds to O2, this enables O2 to be transported in the red blood cells around the body.

Question 3

what are Na+ ions used for?

Answer 3

• required for the co-transport of glucose and/or amino acids against their concentration gradients

Question 4

what are phosphate ions used for?

Answer 4

• used to make molecules, phospholipids, DNA nucleotides + RNA nucleotides, ATP
• can be added to molecules to make them more reactive (phosphorylation)

Question 5

what are hydrogen ions used for?

Answer 5

• affect pH levels in the body
  too much H+ = too acidic
  too little H+ = too alkaline
• proteins and therefore enzymes are all affected by pH, tertiary structure