Knowee
Questions
Features
Study Tools

The partial pressure of CO2 is in the atmospheric air compared to the partial pressure in blood.

Question

The partial pressure of CO2 is in the atmospheric air compared to the partial pressure in blood.

🧐 Not the exact question you are looking for?Go ask a question

Solution

The partial pressure of CO2 in the atmospheric air is significantly lower than in the blood.

  1. Atmospheric air: The partial pressure of CO2 in the atmosphere is about 0.3 mm Hg, which is very low. This is because the atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), with only a small amount of CO2 (0.04%).

  2. Blood: In contrast, the partial pressure of CO2 in arterial blood (the blood that is oxygenated in the lungs and sent out to the body) is about 40 mm Hg. This is much higher than in the atmosphere because our bodies produce CO2 as a byproduct of cellular respiration, and the blood carries this CO2 from our body's tissues back to our lungs to be exhaled.

So, the partial pressure of CO2 is higher in the blood than in the atmospheric air. This difference in partial pressures allows for the diffusion of CO2 from our blood (where its partial pressure is high) into our lungs (where its partial pressure is low), so that we can exhale it out into the atmosphere.

This problem has been solved

Similar Questions

In a healthy person, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in systemic arterial blood is equal to the pCO2 in the alveoli.

the oxygen partial pressure in blood is 100mmHg, the oxygen partial pressure in metabolically active tissue is 40mmHg.  Which of the following would occur?Group of answer choicescarbon dioxide will diffuse from blood into the tissueoxygen will diffuse from blood to the tissueoxygen will diffuse form tissue into the blood

What are the partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood traveling via systemic arteries to tissues?Multiple ChoicePO2 = 40 mmHg and PCO2 = 45 mmHgPO2 = 95 mmHg and PCO2 = 40 mmHgPCO2 = 104 mmHg and PO2 = 40 mmHgPO2 = 95 mmHg and PCO2 = 75 mmHg

A sealed vessel contains 8.58 moles of oxygen, 1.27moles of carbon dioxide, and 3.65 moles of nitrogen gas. The total pressure of the gas mixture is 2.94 atmospheres. What is the partial pressure of the carbon dioxide?

The concentration of carbon dioxide is higher in the alveoli than in the blood

1/3

Upgrade your grade with Knowee

Get personalized homework help. Review tough concepts in more detail, or go deeper into your topic by exploring other relevant questions.