Question

If someone from a sea level area goes to Cuzco, Peru, why would this person be gasping for air? Explain what is happening in terms of respiration and how is that an example of Le Chetaliers principle? What are the stresses that affect equilibrium? And how does the decrease in CO2 affect equilibrium, shift in what direction? Decrease in Oxygen? Shift in what direction?
Please explain in details and chemical equation. Thanks.

Answer 1

Peru , Cuzco are in higher altitudes from sea level. We know with increasing altitude partial atmospheric pressure decreases. That means volume of air or oxygen become less .Due to this people need to breathe more rapidly to maintain same amount of pressure of oxygen in our body. But , it's not possible for long time then physiological functions are hampered. Heart pumped more blood to supply O2 in brain and muscle. For long period they begin to acclimative, and suffering from breathing trouble which causes sometime to death. Actually , according to La chatelier principle, any chemical changes in a system is obstructed by shifting the equilibrium to the opposite direction of the changes. If we corelate it with effect of pressure then with decreasing pressure equilibrium shifted in the direction where mole number increases. Following this rule blood is flow from high pressure to low pressure. Actually blood is oxygenated in lungs and then flow to other portion . The effect of CO2 pressure is not change too much with increasing altitude, The CO2 which are generated in our body is released and then blood become alkaline due to released of bicarbonate ion this favours the oxygenation of haemoglobin but when partial pressure of O2 is lower it becomes difficult to uptake Oxygen. Then, alkalinity of blood is maintained for short term by kidney. CO2+H20 > H2CO3,. H2CO3> H^+ +HCO3^-.