Increased $CO_2$ in Blood Causes pH Drop
An increase in the concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) in the blood triggers a series of chemical reactions that affect blood acidity.
Carbon Dioxide Transport in Blood
Carbon dioxide dissolves in blood and reacts with water ($H_2O$) primarily within red blood cells, catalyzed by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase. This forms carbonic acid ($H_2CO_3$), which then dissociates:
$CO_2 + H_2O \rightleftharpoons H_2CO_3 \rightleftharpoons H^+ + HCO_3^-$
This reaction explains how $CO_2$ influences hydrogen ion ($H^+$) and bicarbonate ion ($HCO_3^-$) concentrations.
Impact on Hydrogen Ion ($H^+$) Concentration
As the concentration of dissolved $CO_2$ rises:
- More carbonic acid ($H_2CO_3$) is formed.
- This leads to an increased dissociation into hydrogen ions ($H^+$) and bicarbonate ions ($HCO_3^-$).
- Therefore, the concentration of $H^+$ ions in the blood increases.
Effect on Blood pH
Blood pH is a measure of its acidity, defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration:
$pH = -\log_{10}[H^+]$
A higher concentration of $H^+$ ions results in a lower pH value. Thus, increased $CO_2$ leads to a decrease in blood pH, making the blood more acidic (a condition known as respiratory acidosis).
Analysis of Options
- $HCO_3^-$ concentration: The reaction shows that $HCO_3^-$ concentration increases, not decreases.
- $H^+$ concentration: As shown, $H^+$ concentration increases, it does not decrease.
- Blood pH: The increase in $H^+$ concentration directly causes the blood pH to decrease.
- Oxygen transport: Increased $CO_2$ (and resulting lower pH) shifts the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve to the right (Bohr effect), enhancing oxygen delivery to tissues, thus affecting oxygen transport.
Consequently, the primary effect of increased dissolved $CO_2$ is a decrease in blood pH.
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Important Questions from Mixed Topic (CUET PG)
- Who was the founder of Bolshevik Communist party?
- What is the key guide to statecraft in the realist tradition?
- Chronologically arrange the events in the Cold War period.
A. Berlin Wall is constructed
B. Communist China joins the UN
C. Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
D. Berlin Blockade
Choose the correct answer from the options given below: Morgenthau's principles of political realism are:
A. Politics is rooted in permanent and unchanging human nature which is basically self centred, self-regarding and self-interested
B. Politics is an autonomous sphere of action and cannot therefore be reduced to morals
C. International Politics is an arena of conflicting self-interests
D. The ethics of international relations is situational ethics which is very different from private morality
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:Who among the following political thinkers consider the anarchical self help system to be a compelling factor for States to maximise their relative power positions?
