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Abstract
The diffusion of carbon dioxide in biological media such as tissues and blood is an important physiological phenomenum. Transport of carbon dioxide in aqueous biological media causes, through chemical reactions, the simultaneous flux of several ionic species. The reversible reactions of CO2 are coupled to amino acid dissociations of the protein species which have a large buffer capability. Due to the great difference in mobility of bicarbonate and protein, a diffusion potential evolves, which has a considerable influence upon the total CO2 transport in the medium. The electrical potentials impede the carrier-facilitated CO2transfer associated with the bicarbonate flux. New data on carbon dioxide transport in hemoglobin solutions are presented which clearly show the large reduction of CO2 transport due to the electrical potentials. The experimental results correlate with diffusion potential data obtained previously. A theoretical model correctly predicts both the CO2 transport and diffusion potential data as a function of The ionic composition of the solution. It is concluded that applied or electrical fields can have a significant effect on CO2 transport in reactive biological media.