Assume that the following reaction is used to buffer the pH of your blood: H2CO3óHCO3-1 + H+1 What would happen in your blood if the pH suddenly increased to 7.6?

Question

  Carbonic acid will react with bicarbonate to produce free H+ ions

 

  Hydrogen ion will combine with bicarbonate ion to form carbonic acid

 

  Carbonic acid will dissociate into bicarbonate and hydrogen ions

 

  Hydrogen ion will combine with carbonic acid to form bicarbonate

 

Answer 1

The way you have written the reaction shows carbonic acid (H2CO3) conversion to bicarbonate (HCO3-) plus hydrogen ion (H+).

H2CO3 ==> HCO3- + H+

Increasing the pH means decreasing the [H+]

decreasing [H+] causes the reaction to shift to the right according to Le Chatelier

So answer would be ...

Carbonic acid will dissociate into bicarbonate and hydrogen ions

Answer 2

CO₂+H₂O>H₂CO₃>H⁺+HCO₃^-

The middle molecule is carbonic acid because it has an extra hydrogen to give away, the molecule on the right is bicarbonate.

Remember that a higher pH means a lower number of hydrogen ions. Also remember Le Chatelier's Principle: if we take something away from the reaction, the reaction will shift to make more of that reactant/product to compensate.

Since we increased the pH, we took hydrogen ions away, so the reaction will shift to make more hydrogen ions (in other words, it'll shift to the right).

A: carbonic acid and bicarbonate are in different parts of the equation, so they don't react with one another.

B: this answer choice would make more carbonic acid, but we're trying to make more hydrogen ions.

C: this one makes more hydrogen ions, which is what we wanted. C is correct.

D: like choice A, hydrogen ion and carbonic acid are in different parts of the equation, so they don't react with one another.