Question

Oxygen must dissolve into fluid lining alveoli prior to diffusing into our pulmonary capillaries but we cannot breathe water. Explain why we are not able to survive by allowing our lungs to fill with water and breathing underwater. In your answer for this question, consider multiple differences in the respiratory fluids (water and air).

Answer 1

The strong hydrogen bonds in water made water stable and difficult to breakdown into constituent oxygen and hydrogen atoms. at a temprature less than 100 degree..

Oxygen is a strong electronegative atom than the two hydrogen atoms it is attached to in water. It pulls more electrons to itself than the hydrogen atoms.. This strengthened hydrogen bonds in water .

Consequently, it will be difficult for the needed oxygen atoms to simply diffuse into the alveoli to reach the blood,Compare to its molecular form where its atoms awere held by relatively week covalent bonds.

Besides the porosity of the thin alveolar endothelial walls of 0.2 micrometer is too small for the larger water molecules to pass through.

Step-by-step explanation: