Question

Imagine that you have two people using breathing gear under water. Diver 1 is using an old style "rebreather" that removes carbon dioxide before the mixture is "rebreather" and therefore decreases overall carbon dioxide concentrations in the blood. Diver 2 is using regular SCUBA gear and is breathing air with the normal amount of carbon dioxide that does not lower blood levels of carbon dioxide. Which diver would have a higher blood pH and which would feel more an "urge to breathe"
a. Diver 2 would have higher blood pH and feel the "urge to breathe" sooner.
b. Diver 1 would have higher blood pH, while Diver 2 would feel the "urge to breathe" sooner.
c. Diver 2 would have higher blood pH, while Diver 1 would feel the "urge to breathe" sooner.
d. Diver 1 would have higher blood pH and would feel the "urge to breathe" sooner.
e. There would be no difference in blood pH or breathing between the two divers.

Answer 1

Answer

:b. Diver 1 would have higher blood pH, while Diver 2 would feel the "urge to breathe" sooner.

Basically   higher  blood pH indicate low acidity, but  higher alkalinity.Therefore the  higher the concentration of CO2 in the blood the lower the acidity of the blood and higher the pH.

Therefore Diver 1 with rebreather, that removes CO2, and reduced the blood CO2 concentration, will have high blood pH. since pH = -log[H+]. and acidosis decreases with increases in pH

The Diver 2 will  have high blood saturation of  CO2 and therefore low pH. But with urge to breath sooner, because Hb needs to  releases CO2 in the lungs , to load Oxygen molecules, Diver 2 , needs to breath sooner for this exchange to take place in the lungs.Unlike Diver 1, whose re breather has helped in the extraction of CO2 and faster loading loading of Oxygen.

Explanation: