FUNCTIONS OF ACID BASE

BALANCE
Maintenance of the internal environment is one of the vital functions (it has same importance as
circulation or respiration). maintenance of stable pH, also called isohydria, is one of the basic
components of the internal environment: (1) isohydria, (2) isovolumia (stable volume), (3) isoosmolarity
(stable tonicity), and (4) isoionia (stable ion composition).

Buffers typically consist of a pair of compounds in solution, one of which is a weak acid and the other a
weak base.The most abundant buffer in the ECF consists of a solution of carbonic acid (H 2CO3), and the
bicarbonate (HCO−3) salt of, usually, sodium (Na +).[5] Thus, when there is an excess of OH−
ions in the solution carbonic acid partially neutralizes them by forming H2O and bicarbonate (HCO−
3) ions.[5][9] Similarly an excess of H+ ions is partially neutralized by the bicarbonate component of the
buffer solution to form carbonic acid (H 2CO3), which, because it is a weak acid, remains largely in the
undissociated form, releasing far fewer H + ions into the solution than the original strong acid would have
done.

The pH of the extracellular fluids can thus be controlled by separately regulating the partial pressure of
carbon dioxide (which determines the carbonic acid concentration), and the bicarbonate ion
concentration in the extracellular fluids.

There are therefore at least two homeostatic negative feedback systems responsible for the regulation
of the plasma pH. The first is the homeostatic control of the blood partial pressure of carbon dioxide,
which determines the carbonic acid concentration in the plasma, and can change the pH of the arterial
plasma within a few seconds. The partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the arterial blood is monitored by
the central chemoreceptors of the medulla oblongata, and so are part of the central nervous system.
These chemoreceptors are sensitive to the pH and levels of carbon dioxide in the cerebrospinal fluid.
(The peripheral chemoreceptors are located in the aortic bodies and carotid bodies adjacent to the arch
of the aorta and to the bifurcation of the carotid arteries, respectively. These chemoreceptors are
sensitive primarily to changes in the partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood and are therefore
not directly involved with pH homeostasis.

In general metabolism produces more waste acids than bases.[5] The urine is therefore generally acid.
This urinary acidity is, to a certain extent, neutralized by the ammonia (NH3) which is excreted into the
urine when glutamate and glutamine (carriers of excess, no longer needed, amino groups) are
deaminated by the distal renal tubular epithelial cells.[5][12] Thus some of the "acid content" of the
urine resides in the resulting ammonium ion (NH4+) content of the urine, though this has no effect on
pH homeostasis of the extracellular fluids.

he blood's acid-base balance is precisely controlled because even a minor deviation from the normal
range can severely affect many organs. The body uses different mechanisms to control the blood's acid-
base balance. These mechanisms involve the

 Lungs
  Kidneys

 Buffer systems

FUNCTION OF OXYGEN TRANSPORT

In the human body, the oxygen is absorbed by the blood stream in the lungs, being then transported to
the cells where an elaborated change process takes place. Oxygen plays a vital role in the breathing
processes and in the metabolism of the living organisms.

One critical role that oxygen plays in the body is that it is used to oxidize our food, in the process of
cellular respiration, thus releasing energy, which is eventually stored in ATP in the electron transport
chain in mitochondria, and in glycolysis in the cytoplasm.

Carbohydrates and fatty acids are gradually broken down to simpler carbohydrates, and then oxidized in
our cells ... producing energy, carbon dioxide, and water.

It's basically a highly controlled process of burning our food that gives us the energy we need to live.

Another critical purpose oxygen plays is that it is part of  the water molecule: cells are about 70-90%
water by mass, and without water and its ability to form hydrogen bonds life would likely not be
possible at all.

So in fact, because of the very high water content, the human body is mostly oxygen, by mass. You can
be assured that it plays many, many important roles in the body, not just one.

Of course oxygen, in the form of O2, has many effects on the body - it is highly reactive, and so it has to
be carefully handled to avoid tissue damage, especially from the more reactive oxygen species that
sometimes result from metabolic processes. reactive oxygen species and oxygen halides are also
purposefully produced during metabolism, and are used, together with specialized proteins, to kill
harmful invasive bacteria in vacuoles contained within neutrophils.

Cellular respiration

Molecular oxygen, O2, is essential for cellular respiration in all aerobic organisms. Oxygen is
used as an electron acceptor in mitochondria to generate chemical energy.

A small part of the waste that comes from our body cells is watery, or easily dissolved in water;
Furthermore, this is transported in the blood to a specific set of filter organs—the liver and the
kidneys—and poured out of the body as the urine.
Another part of waste is passed off through the skin in the form of watery vapor as perspiration,
or sweat. But part of the waste can be gotten rid of only by burning, and what we call burning is
another name for combining with oxygen, or to use one word—oxidation;

The brain represents only 2% of the human body weight; it receives 15% of the cardiac output, 20% of
total body oxygen consumption, and 25% of total body glucose utilization. When neurons in a particular
region of the brain are highly active, they consume a great deal of oxygen, which results in recruitment
of extra blood flow to that region. Mental performance in the human body can be improved by
"feeding" the brain with extra oxygen or glucose, according to research published today that could
have implications for the treatment of dementia. The oxygen regimen improves alertness, reflexes,
memory and apparently intelligence, and may offer the elderly a new weapon against senility and
related disorders. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are reported to be responding to it. Alcoholics who start
taking oxygen supplement soon loose interest in alcohol.