Why are red blood cells important to carbon dioxide transport?
” for a complete explanation of the mechanisms involved). A rise in body temperature reduces Hb/O2 affinity as the increased energy (heat) will prevent bonds from forming or break bonds currently in place. Increased CO2 content can affect the affinity because CO2 can bind to sites where O2 would normally bind. Hemoglobin normally picks up CO2 at the tissues and releases it at the respiratory surface in exchange for oxygen to complete the chain. When the concentration of CO2 is too high it takes the place of oxygen on Hb at higher than normal rates. Oxygen dissociation curves graphically represent the percent of hemoglobin’s oxygen binding sites that are holding oxygen at different partial pressures of oxygen. The sigmoid (S-shaped) curve is due to subunit cooperativity between the four oxygen binding sites on a hemoglobin molecule. When no binding sites are occupied by oxygen, it is relatively difficult to get the first oxygen to bind. After it does, however, the structure of the hemog
