Question

Prompt:

Write a paragraph of the required length on how the bicarbonate system maintains homeostasis in the blood system. In your paragraph address the issues rasied in the Guidance for Writing Your Text. Remember, however, that you are writing an essay, not just answering a list of questions.

Guidance for Writing Your Text:

In studying the resources and writing your text consider the issues raised by the following questions:

What is homeostasis?

What is acidosis?

What is a buffer and how does it work?

What equilibrium reactions are involved in the carbonic acid/bicarbonate buffer system?

What are the metabolic and physiological processes that increase the concentration of protons and carbon dioxide in the blood during exercise?

How does the carbonic acid/bicarbonate buffer system respond to the stress?

What other pathways does the body use to remove excess protons, carbon dioxide or bicarbonate from the blood, and what effect do each of these pathways have on the pH of the blood?

Answer 1

the bicarbonate buffer system is an acid base homeostatic mechanism and it involves the balance of carbonic acid, bicarbonate ion and carbon dioxide to maintain pH in blood.carbondioxide reacts with the water to form carbonic acid, which inturn rapidly dissociates to form bicarbonate ion and hydrogen ion.

The pH is balanced by weak acid (carbonic acid) and its conjugate base bicarbonate ion, if any acid or base is introduced in to the system. failure of this system results in acidimia and alkalemia