Zoology - Breathing and Exchange of Gases Question with Solution | TestHub

CO₂from the respiratory tissues to the lungs is transported by the blood in 3 ways:

(i) In dissolved state or as a physical solution:Very small amount physically dissolved in plasma (7% i.e. ≅ 0.3 ml of CO₂by every 100 ml of blood)

(ii) Bicarbonate ions:≅ 70% (i.e., ≅ 2.5 ml per 100 ml of blood) CO₂diffuses in plasma & then into RBCs were it (in the presence of carbonic anhydrase) combines with H₂O to form carbonic acid which is almost spontaneously dissociated into hydrogen ion & bicarbonate ions.

(iii) Carbaminohaemoglobin:≅23 % (i.e., ≅ 1 ml of CO₂per 100 ml of blood) combines with haemoglobin forming an unstable compound.