Carbon dioxide transport

How carbon dioxide is dealt with

In the cytoplasm of red blood cells there is an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase that catalyses the following reaction:

Carbon dioxide + water <----> carbonic acid

This dissociates to:

carbonic acid <----> hydrogen ion + hydrogen carbonate ion

Haemoglobin forming readily combines with hydrogen ions, forming haemoglobinic acid. In doing so it releases the oxygen it is carried.

Carbon dioxide transport

Most hydrogencarbonate ions diffuse out of the red blood cell and into the plasma…