pH Flashcards
pH is a measure of the concentration of the _____.
free hydrogen ions in a water-
based solution
A buffer is a substance which, when in solution, is able to _____, so that the _____.
bind or release hydrogen ions;
pH remains nearly constant
The strength of an acid or base refers to its _____: a strong acid, for example, will _____
in water.
ability to ionize; completely
dissociate to give free H+
The strict definition of _____ means a blood pH that is too low, while _____ refers to the
conditions that promote the lowering of blood pH. However, in actual practice, the two
terms are often treated as synonyms.
acidemia; acidosis
The strict definition of _____ means a blood pH that is too high, while _____ refers to the
conditions that promote the increase in blood pH. However, in actual practice, the two
terms are often treated as synonyms.
alkalemia; alkalosis
The normal pH of arterial blood is _____. If the pH drops 0.05 units to reach _____, the
person has _____; if instead it rises 0.05 pH units, the person has _____.
7.40; 7.35; acidemia; alkalemia
The pH of the body’s fluids must be tightly controlled: two major effects of shifts in pH are
changes in _____ and _____.
protein folding; electrolyte
distribution
____ in the blood respond almost instantly to small changes in pH. Their levels can be
altered by two of the body’s systems: the _____ and _____.
Buffers; lungs; kidneys
There are three major chemical buffer systems in the body: the bicarbonate buffer system
in the _____, the phosphate buffer system in the _____ and _____, and the protein buffer
system in the _____
ECF; ICF; urine; ICF
When hydrogen ions are added to a bicarbonate buffer system in the body, they bind to
_____ to form _____
bicarbonate; carbonic acid
When hydrogen ions are removed from a bicarbonate buffer system in the body, _____
releases hydrogen ions which replace those that were removed.
carbonic acid
When hydrogen ions are added to a phosphate buffer system in the body, they bind to
_____ to form _____.
hydrogen phosphate;
dihydrogen phosphate
When hydrogen ions are removed from a phosphate buffer system in the body, _____
releases hydrogen ions which replace those that were removed
dihydrogen phosphate
When hydrogen ions are added to a protein buffer system in the body, they bind to the
side-chains of _____ and _____.
histidine; cysteine
There is an endless supply of carbon dioxide in the body because it is formed during
_____. Most is taken in by _____ and enzymatically converted to _____.
cellular respiration;
erythrocytes; bicarbonate
The reaction relating carbon dioxide and the pH of an aqueous solution is _____.
CO2 + H2O H2CO3
H+ + HCO3-
_____’ refers to a condition in which the level of CO2
in the arterial blood is too high:
‘_____’ refers to when the level is too low
Hypercapnia; hypocapnia
CO2 dissolved in the blood is usually denoted by ‘_____,’ which refers to the pressure of
the gas.
PCO2
H+
can be removed from the blood by adding it to bicarbonate to form carbonic acid, then
splitting the carbonic acid to water and CO2
; this reaction can be accelerated by increasing
_____, which removes the _____ from the blood
breathing rate; CO2
. Alterations in the blood pH due to changes in breathing rate takes _____ .
several minutes