Question

1. You put 1 M reactant A and 1 M product B into a test tube. The pH in the tube is 7, the temperature is 25°C, and the reaction is taking place in 55.5 M H₂O at one atmosphere pressure. After the reaction reaches equilibrium, you measure the concentrations of A and B to be 1.000989 x 10^-5 M and 1.000989 M, respectively.
   1. What is the ΔG°' for this reaction?
2. 2. Can you calculate ΔG° or ΔG from the data given? For each, explain why or why not.

2. Our lungs are able to compensate for a pH imbalance in our blood. However, if a patient has normal blood pH, breathing abnormally can actually create a pH imbalance in the blood. Assume that a patient with no pre-occurring pH imbalance has their lung function decreased by a pain medication and starts breathing quite slowly and shallowly. What would you expect to happen to their blood pH? Explain your reasoning at the level of the chemistry of the bicarbonate blood buffering system.

Answer 1

If the patient's lung function is decreased then the pH of blood will decrease and acidity increases.

In bicarbonate buffer system , the carbon dioxide is produced by the cell as the waste product of cellular respiration is taken out from the cell and hydrated to form bicarbonate ions which travel to lungs via blood. There it gets dehydrated and forms CO2 which gets out by the respiration.

Now ,if the lung function is decreased, the person will respire slow and shallow which causes lesser CO2 exhale. The excess CO2 gets accumulated.

Due to accumulation of excess CO2, according to Le Chatelier's principle , the reaction shifts right and forms more bicarbonate and H+ which increases acidity and lowers the pH.