Transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide

Recall the role of haemoglobin in transporting oxygen & carbon dioxide

Describe the changes in the dissociation curve at different carbon dioxide concentrations

We’ll have a lesson on this topic but it will be good for you to have some foundational
understanding coming into the lesson as it can be quite complex.

Watch one of the videos below and answer the questions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYGPkRFvzOc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baaf4Ckknw0

Oxygen dissociation curve

When air of different oxygen concentrations (pressures, p) is bubbled into haemoglobin an
S-shaped (sigmoid) curve is formed – this is known as an oxygen dissociation curve.
● At high O2 pressure (pO2) – e.g. in the lungs – almost all haemoglobin is found as
oxyhaemoglobin
● At medium pressure most haemoglobin is still found as oxyhaemoglobin
● At low pressure – e.g. in the body tissues – oxyhaemoglobin dissociates
● O2 association varies in ease (1st O2 difficult; 2nd and 3rd associate easily; 4th difficult)
● The result is delivery of oxygen to the respiring tissues that need it.
Transport of carbon dioxide
1. O2 molecules (used in respiration) dissociate from oxyhaemoglobin and diffuse from RBC’s through
capillary wall, into tissue fluid, then into respiring body cells (where O2 tension is low)
2. Respiration consequently releases more CO2 which diffuses out of cells into tissue fluid, then into
RBC’s and reacts with H2O
3. CO2 + H2O ⇌ H2CO3- (carbonic acid)
carbonic anhydrase
4. H2CO3- ⇌ H+ + HCO3-
dissociates
5. H+ ions ‘mopped up’ by Hb = haemoglobinic acid (HHb)
6. In doing so, H+ ions replace O2 molecules on oxyhaemoglobin