Chapter 22.3, Problem 18BYGO

Summary Introduction

Introduction:

Respiration is a process of gaseous exchange which functions to provide oxygen (O₂) to tissues and eliminates carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the tissues. Red blood cells (RBCs) contain hemoglobin, which binds to gases such as O₂ and CO₂ molecules and transports them. Hemoglobin is a protein molecule which has four subunits two alpha and two beta chains with a central heme group that contains iron. During normal cell metabolism the mitochondria produces CO₂ and around 75% of CO₂ is transported by hemoglobin.