Question

PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!

Carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves poorly in plasma. While it can be carried by hemoglobin, the ability of red blood cells to transport it on hemoglobin is limited. Thus, 70 percent of the CO2 that leaves the body is carried out in a third way. Explain what happens

Answer 1

co2 diffuses into red blood cells down their concentration gradient. Here, the co2 reacts with water in the cytoplasm of the red blood cell with the help of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase to make carbonic acid (H2CO3). The carbonic acid then dissociates into H+ and hydrogen carbonate ions. The H+ ions binds with R-groups in haemoglobin in the red blood cell to make the compound carbaminohaemoglobin. The hydrogen carbonate ions leave the red blood cell and diffuse into the blood plasma whilst chloride ions move into the red blood cell (chloride shift) to maintain electrochemical balance.

Ik it's a lot but I hope it helped. I have a biology exam tomorrow and I also need to remember this haha