Transporting Carbon Dioxide

Question 1

Carbon dioxide is released from respiring tissues and it must be removed from tissues to the lungs.
What are the three ways carbon dioxide is transported

Answer 1

10% is combined with haemoglobin to make carbaminohaemoglobin
85% is transported in form of hydrogen carbonate
5% is dissolved directly into the plasma

Question 2

When carbon dioxide diffuses into an erythrocyte from blood plasma, it reacts with water to form …..

Answer 2

Carbonic acid.
H2CO3

Question 3

what enzyme catalyses the formation of carbonic acid

Answer 3

Carbonic anhydrase

Question 4

what two things does carbonic acid dissociate into

Answer 4

Hydrogen ions H+
Hydrogen carbonate HCO3-

Question 5

What is the chloride shift?

Answer 5

When hydrogen carbonate ions HCO3- diffuse out of the erythrocyte into the plasma through a membrane bounds transport protein

Cl- diffuse into the erythrocyte through the same membrane bound transport protein to balance the electrical charge inside the blood cell

Question 6

How does haemoglobin turning to haemoglobinic acid act as a buffer in the erythrocyte

Answer 6

Because if there are too many hydrogen ions in the blood cell, it can cause the erythrocyte to become acidic/ lower the ph

Therefore, hydrogen ions are taking out of the solution by associating with haemoglobin and forming Haemoglobinic acid.
Therefore its maintaining a constant ph.

Question 7

What is the Bohr shift?

Answer 7

On the haemoglobin disociation curve, the bohr shift shows the curve shifting downwards and to the right due to carbon dioxide levels

This is showing haemoglobin has a lower affinity for oxygen, causing it to disociate, resulting in a higher partial pressure of oxygen.

Question 8

Too many Hydrogen ions can make the erythrocytes cytoplasm more….

Answer 8

Acidic

Question 9

which curve shows the bohr effect, the left or right

Answer 9

right

Question 10

what is the bohr effect

Answer 10

when lots of co2 is present, usually around working muscles, more carbonic acid is formed, which dissociates into H+ and Hydrogencarbonate

Lots of H+ alters the tertiary structure of haemoglobin, reducing the oxygen affinity. Therefore more oxygen is being released into the plasma.

Question 11

what is the symbol for hydrogencarbonate

Answer 11

HCO3-

Question 12

what is the symbol for carbonic acid

Answer 12

H2CO3-

Question 13

what is haemoglobinic acid written as

Answer 13

HHb

Question 14

is chloride an anion or a cation

Answer 14

anion CL-

Question 15

how is haemoglobinic acid formed

Answer 15

by haemoglobin binding with hydrogen ions to prevent the erythrocyte becoming acidic