Case Study: Metabolic Acids And Buffers

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Metabolic Acids and Buffers
An average rate of metabolic activity produces roughly 22,000 milliequivalents (mEq) of acid per day. If all of this acid remains in an unbuffered body system then the PH of the body fluids will become less than 1. However, the pH of the blood is normally maintained between 7.36 and 7.44, and intracellular pH at approximately 7.1. The maximum range of extracellular pH over which the normal bodily functions, such as; the beating of the heart, metabolic activity of the liver and nerve conduction can be maintained is 7.0 to 7.8. Thus, until the acid produced from metabolism can be excreted as CO2 in expired air and as ions in the urine, it needs to be buffered in the body fluids. The major buffer systems in the body are the bicarbonate–carbonic acid buffer system, which operates principally in ECF; the hemoglobin buffer system in red blood cells; the phosphate buffer system in all types of cells; and the protein buffer system of cells and plasma.
How Buffers Work
The Lungs and kidneys in the body work in coordination to maintain the PH of the body fluids. The internal PH of most living cells is 7. A slight change in the PH can be harmful for the chemical …show more content…

The pKa of carbonic acid itself is only 3.8, so at the blood pH of 7.4, it is almost completely dissociated and theoretically unable to buffer and generate bicarbonate. However, carbonic acid can be replenished from CO2 in body fluids and air because the concentration of dissolved CO2 in body fluids is approximately 400 times greater than that of carbonic acid. As base is added and H+ is removed, H2CO3 dissociates into hydrogen and bicarbonate ions, and dissolved CO2 reacts with H2O to replenish the H2CO3. Dissolved CO2 is in equilibrium with the CO2 in air in the alveoli of the lungs, and thus the availability of CO2 can be increased or decreased by an adjustment in the rate of breathing and the amount of CO2

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