Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Both Have the Ability to Bind

question 40

Essay

Oxygen and carbon dioxide both have the ability to bind to hemoglobin, which would seem to be an unfavorable situation for the body, particularly in terms of cellular respiration. What features does the human body use to favor oxygen and not carbon dioxide binding to hemoglobin?

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Definitions:

Curved Arrow Formalism

A notation technique in chemistry representing the movement of electrons during reaction mechanisms.

Electron Pairs

Pairs of electrons occupying the same orbital but having opposite spins; important in bond formation and molecular structure.

Bronsted-Lowry Base

A substance that can accept a proton (H+) from another substance, according to the Bronsted-Lowry acid-base theory.

Lewis Base

A Lewis base is a substance that can donate a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond in a chemical reaction.