Final answer:
The correct answer is option (c).The chloride shift is a physiological process that occurs in the transport of carbon dioxide in the blood. It involves the exchange of bicarbonate ions for chloride ions to maintain electrical neutrality. Without the chloride shift, less carbon dioxide would be transformed into bicarbonate ions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The chloride shift is a physiological process that occurs in the transport of carbon dioxide in the blood. When carbon dioxide diffuses into red blood cells, carbonic anhydrase converts it into carbonic acid, which dissociates into bicarbonate ions and hydrogen ions. In order to maintain electrical neutrality, bicarbonate ions leave the red blood cells and enter the blood plasma in exchange for chloride ions. This process is called the chloride shift.
Without the chloride shift, less carbon dioxide would be transformed into bicarbonate ions. Bicarbonate tends to build up in the red blood cells, so without the chloride shift, there would be a greater concentration of bicarbonate in the red blood cells than in the surrounding blood plasma.
In the lungs, the bicarbonate ions are transported back into the red blood cells in exchange for chloride ions, and carbonic acid is converted back into carbon dioxide. This process allows for the continued uptake of carbon dioxide into the blood and its expulsion from the lungs during exhalation.