A student fills in a table about the alveoli and a working muscle…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A student fills in a table about the alveoli and a working muscle.
- Which of the two has the higher pO?
- Which has the higher pCO?
- Which has the higher hydrogen ion concentration?
- Which has the higher temperature?
- In which of them does oxygen bind to haemoglobin, and in which does it come off?
- Which one of the four changes in (a) to (d) alone would you expect to make oxygen leave haemoglobin more easily? Name any one.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
About per cent of the oxygen travels on haemoglobin in the red blood cells, and about per cent is dissolved in plasma. One haemoglobin molecule carries at most oxygen molecules. Every mL of oxygenated blood delivers about mL of oxygen to the tissues.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) The alveoli have the higher pO, about mm Hg. The tissues have about mm Hg.
Step 2. (b) The tissues have the higher pCO, about mm Hg against mm Hg.
Step 3. (c) A working tissue has more hydrogen ions.
Step 4. (d) A working tissue is warmer.
Step 5. (e) Oxygen binds to haemoglobin in the alveoli. It comes off oxyhaemoglobin in the tissues.
Step 6. (f) A higher pCO, more hydrogen ions or a higher temperature each help oxygen to leave haemoglobin.
Answer: (a) alveoli; (b) tissues; (c) tissues; (d) tissues; (e) binds in the alveoli, comes off in the tissues; (f) for example, a higher pCO.
Watch out. The pO is lower in the tissues. That is also a reason why oxygen leaves.
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