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MPEG-1  |  2006-11-09  |  5.1 MB  |  384x288  |  29.97fps  |  38 seconds
Transcription: Carbon dioxide is carried in the blood mainly as bicarbonate. How is it finally released as a gas on reaching the alveoli? It is done through bringing hydrogen and bicarbonate ions back together as carbonic acid and then reversing the formation of carbonic acid which yields carbon dioxide and water. These reactions occur in the red cell, helped by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase and also by the oxygenation of hemoglobin. The carbon dioxide so formed now enters the plasma and is able to diffuse out into the alveoli.