Respiratory Systems (Part 1) Flashcards
Why is oxygen important?
it is the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain so it is important for the creation of ATP
What are physical influences of respiration?
- properties of diffusion
- breathing in air vs water
- size of molecule
What are two important molecules (?) for diffusion?
CO2 and O2
What is dry air composed of?
- oxygen
- carbon dioxide
- nitrogen
- argon
What percent of dry air is oxygen?
20.95%
What percent of dry air is carbon dioxide?
0.03%
What percent of dry air is nitrogen?
78.1%
What percent of dry air is argon?
0.09%
When was atmospheric pressure discovered?
17th century
What does atmospheric pressure mean?
air has weight caused by the force of the Earth’s gravitational field
Who said “we live submerged at the bottom of an ocean of the element of air”?
Torricelli
What do atoms have?
mass
What is air pressure at sea level expressed as? (2 ways)
- 1 atmosphere (1.0 atm of pressure)
- 760 mm Hg
What is partial pressure?
the pressure contributed by a gas to the total atmospheric pressure
What is Dalton’s law?
each gas exerts its own partial pressure based on the % of the gas in dry air
How is Dalton’s Law calculated?
760 x (percent of gas in dry air)
as pressure increases…
molecules get closer together
Gas moves from an area of ______ partial pressure to an area of ________ partial pressure.
high; low
Pressure _____ with altitude?
decreases
What happens to air as altitude increases?
becomes less dense
What happens to oxygen molecules as altitude increases?
“less oxygen” = get further apart
What is required for pilots in unpressurized aircraft?
supplemental oxygen
What does Henry’s Law descibe?
the behavior of gases when they come into contact with a liquid
- the concentration of gas in a liquid is directly proportional to the solubility and partial pressure of that gas
- concentration of the gas in a liquid is dependent on the solubility of the gas in the liquid
According to Henry’s Law, the greater the partial pressure of the gas…
the greater the number of gas molecules that will dissolve in the liquid
What happens if you have water/air interface?
concentration gradient of O2 wants to transition from air to water
How fast does oxygen diffuse into water?
faster in shallower water
What does turbulent mixing do?
increases surface area which increases getting oxygen into water
What happens to the solubility of oxygen as temperature increases?
decreases solubility
What is Fick’s Law of Diffusion?
The rate if transfer of a gas through a sheet of tissue is proportional to the tissue area and the difference in gas partial pressure between the 2 sides and inversely proportional to the tissue thickness
What is the formula for Fick’s law of diffusion?
R = (D A (change in)p) / d
What does R represent in Fick’s law of diffusion formula?
rate of diffusion
What does D represent in Fick’s law of diffusion formula?
diffusion constant
What does A represent in Fick’s law of diffusion forumla?
Area over which diffusion takes place
What does (change in)p represent in Fick’s law of diffusion formula?
pressure difference between two sides
What does d represent in Fick’s law of diffsuion formula?
distance over which diffusion ocurs
Does oxygen or carbon dioxide diffuse faster in air?
oxygen
Why does oxygen diffuse faster than carbon dioxide in air?
oxygen is smaller
How is the rate of diffusion proportional to the square root of its molecular mass?
inversely
Does oxygen or carbon dioxide diffuse faster in water?
carbon dioxide
Why does carbon dioxide diffuse faster in water?
more soluble
How does distance affect diffusion?
increases distance over which a solute has to move increases the time for diffusion
