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- Nitrogen is an inert gas, meaning it is relatively unreactive and does not readily participate in chemical reactions. On the other hand, oxygen is highly reactive and supports combustion, making it vital for sustaining life through respiration.
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Gas molecules establish an equilibrium between those molecules dissolved in liquid and those in air. The composition of air in the atmosphere and in the alveoli differs. In both cases, the relative concentration of gases is nitrogen > oxygen > water vapor > carbon dioxide.
- 22.5 Transport of Gases
Highly active tissues, such as muscle, rapidly use oxygen to...
- 22.5 Transport of Gases
Key points. There are three main gases in air that are taken in and removed from the body. These are oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Gas exchange is the ‘swapping’ of gasses -...
Jul 30, 2022 · Gas molecules establish an equilibrium between those molecules dissolved in liquid and those in air. The composition of air in the atmosphere and in the alveoli differs. In both cases, the relative concentration of gases is nitrogen > oxygen > water vapor > carbon dioxide.
- Gas Exchange
- Gas Laws and Air Composition
- Solubility of Gases in Liquids
- Ventilation and Perfusion
- External Respiration
- Internal Respiration
- Everyday Connection
In order to understand the mechanisms of gas exchange in the lung, it is important to understand the underlying principles of gases and their behaviour. In addition to Boyle’s law, several other gas laws help to describe the behaviour of gases.
Gas molecules exert force on the surfaces with which they are in contact; this force is called pressure. In natural systems, gases are normally present as a mixture of different types of molecules. For example, the atmosphere consists of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other gaseous molecules, and this gaseous mixture exerts a certain pressur...
Henry’s lawdescribes the behaviour of gases when they come into contact with a liquid, such as blood. Henry’s law states that the concentration of gas in a liquid is directly proportional to the solubility and partial pressure of that gas. The greater the partial pressure of the gas, the greater the number of gas molecules that will dissolve in the...
Two important aspects of gas exchange in the lung are ventilation and perfusion. Ventilationis the movement of air into and out of the lungs, and perfusion is the flow of blood in the pulmonary capillaries. For gas exchange to be efficient, the volumes involved in ventilation and perfusion should be compatible. However, factors such as regional gra...
The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood into the lungs from the heart, where it branches and eventually becomes the capillary network composed of pulmonary capillaries. These pulmonary capillaries create the respiratory membrane with the alveoli (Figure 8.4.2). As the blood is pumped through this capillary network, gas exchange occurs. Alth...
Internal respirationis gas exchange that occurs at the level of body tissues (Figure 8.4.3). Similar to external respiration, internal respiration also occurs as simple diffusion due to a partial pressure gradient. However, the partial pressure gradients are opposite of those present at the respiratory membrane. The partial pressure of oxygen in ti...
Hyperbaric Chamber Treatment A type of device used in some areas of medicine that exploits the behaviour of gases is hyperbaric chamber treatment. A hyperbaric chamber is a unit that can be sealed and expose a patient to either 100 percent oxygen with increased pressure or a mixture of gases that includes a higher concentration of oxygen than norma...
- Anna Chruścik, Kate Kauter, Louisa Windus, Eliza Whiteside
- 2021
Breathing - or ventilation - is the process of taking air into and out of the lungs. When we breathe, air, made up mainly of nitrogen and oxygen, enters our body through the mouth and nose.
Highly active tissues, such as muscle, rapidly use oxygen to produce ATP, lowering the partial pressure of oxygen in the tissue to about 20 mm Hg. The partial pressure of oxygen inside capillaries is about 100 mm Hg, so the difference between the two becomes quite high, about 80 mm Hg.
For example, in the atmosphere, oxygen exerts a partial pressure, and nitrogen exerts another partial pressure, independent of the partial pressure of oxygen (Figure 1). Total pressure is the sum of all the partial pressures of a gaseous mixture.
