1answer.
Ask question
Login Signup
Ask question
All categories
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Social Studies
  • Business
  • History
  • Health
  • Geography
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Computers and Technology
  • Arts
  • World Languages
  • Spanish
  • French
  • German
  • Advanced Placement (AP)
  • SAT
  • Medicine
  • Law
  • Engineering
meriva
3 years ago
9

The main buffering agents in human blood are h2co3 and hco3. Explain how this buffering system will be able to maintain blood pH

at a steady level when a small amount of a generic acid HA ( with ions H+ and A-) is added
Chemistry
1 answer:
den301095 [7]3 years ago
6 0

Answer:

The base, HCO₃⁻ of the buffering system will neutralize the acid added forming H₂CO₃.

Explanation:

A buffer solution keeps the pH in a narrow range upon the addition of an acid or base. A buffer consists of a pair of a weak acid and its conjugate base, or vice versa, in a pair of a weak base and its conjugate acid. In the case of human blood, the acid is H₂CO₃ and its conjugate base is HCO₃⁻.

The buffering system of the human blood maintain blood pH at a steady level when a small amount of a generic acid HA is added in the following way:

HCO₃⁻ + HA  ⇄  H₂CO₃ + A⁻

The base, HCO₃⁻, will neutralize the acid added forming the H₂CO₃, which is already a component of the buffering system of the human blood. Thus, hydronium ions of the acid added are removed, preventing the pH of blood from becoming acidic.                

On the other hand, when a small amount of a generic base A⁻ is added the following reaction takes place:    

H₂CO₃ + A⁻  ⇄  HCO₃⁻ + HA

In this case, the acid H₂CO₃ will neutralize the base added to form the base HCO₃⁻, which is already a component of the buffering system. Thus, the base added are removed from the blood, preventing the pH of blood from becoming basic.  

Since, the acid or its conjugate base will react with the base or acid added, to neutralizing it and forming the species that conform the buffer solution, the pH is being maintained at a steady level.  

In the process above, the addition of a small amount of an acid or a base won't change in a significant way the concentrations of the two components of the buffering system. This buffering mechanism prevents the blood from becoming acidic or basic.  

                   

I hope it helps you!

You might be interested in
How are an atoms chemical properties determined?
TiliK225 [7]
Electrons determine the chemical properties. Protons and neutrons are in the nucleus the number of protons determines the number of electrons of an atom
5 0
3 years ago
How do you determine the volume of a regular object if you don't know the density?
Ann [662]

Answer:

mol times or devided by molar volume

4 0
2 years ago
Which statement best explains how the solution should be made? Add 49. 6 mL of 0. 250 M sucrose to 400. 0 mL of water to get 400
soldier1979 [14.2K]
The Last one thank you thank you hope this helped!
7 0
2 years ago
How much tin (Sn) is in 5075 atoms of tin?
kkurt [141]
12937&37374+&22838338384
3 0
3 years ago
How many electrons and protons are contained in an atom of arsenic
madam [21]

Name Arsenic

Atomic Mass 74.9216 atomic mass units

Number of Protons 33

Number of Neutrons 42

Number of Electrons 33

4 0
3 years ago
Other questions:
  • Gaseous methylamine, CH3NH2, can be classified as __________.(a) a Lewis base only(b) Arrhenius and Brønsted-Lowry bases(c) a Br
    10·1 answer
  • A south magnetic pole will attract what type of magnetic pole?
    14·1 answer
  • You mix 5.25 moles of A with 7 moles of B in the chemical equation 3A + 4B 2C + 3D. Which statement is true about the reactants?
    13·2 answers
  • How does incoming solar radiation make life on earth possible?
    13·1 answer
  • The thin outer layer of Earth, called the crust, contains only 0.50 percent of Earth's total mass and yet is the source of almos
    14·1 answer
  • A steel container filled with H₂ gas is at a pressure of 6.5 atm and a temperature of 22°C. If the container is placed near a fu
    9·1 answer
  • A mixture of water and graphite is heated to 600 K in a 1 L container. When the system comes to equilibrium it contains 0.17 mol
    13·1 answer
  • Suppose that a certain fortunate person has a net worth of $79.0 billion ($7.90×1010). If her stock has a good year and gains $3
    9·1 answer
  • A chunk of zinc is added to a solution of gold (III) nitrate to extract the gold. The reaction forms,
    5·2 answers
  • What is the pH of a solution of RbOH with a concentration of 0.86 M? Answer to 2 decimal places
    7·1 answer
Add answer
Login
Not registered? Fast signup
Signup
Login Signup
Ask question!