Chapter 22.3, Problem 3AYLO

Summary Introduction

To discuss:

The exchange of gases based on the ability of gases to dissolve in water and the use of Henry’s law to alveolar air water interface.

Introduction:

Respiration is also known as breathing. It is a process in which gases, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, exchange from the lungs. Gaseous exchange is a process where gases diffuse across a biological membrane. The alveoli of the lungs have small air sacs lined by squamous epithelium through which gases diffuse. Henry’s law states that a constant temperature, the amount of a given gas dissolved in a given volume of a liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of that gas in that liquid.