How does respiratory rate effect blood pH level?

Answer 1

Dissolving carbon dioxide (CO2) in water causes the water to become more acidic, which lowers the pH. The same thing happens in blood. If your blood is too acidic, you breathe faster and that gets rid of some of the CO2. The CO2 forms the acid H2CO3 when combined with water, and an H+ leaves this molecule, forming H+ (or H3O+ when combined with another H2O) and HCO3- (bicarbonate ion). This additional H+ is what pH measures, which is why the pH goes down (down = more H+, since pH is the negative logarithm of the H+ concentration in moles per liter.)

Answer 2

Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation) or slowly (hyperventilation) are ways the body compensates for imbalanced blood pH. The blood's normal pH is 7.35-7.45.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is acts to acidify the blood (lower the pH). Therefore, the respiratory system attempts to compensate for the imbalance: resulting in hyperventilating (deceasing CO2 contained in the blood) during low blood pH. Inversely, hypoventilation occurs during a rise in blood pH.

Answer 3

The simple answer to your question is no. The reason for this is that as carbon dioxide dissolves in the blood, it will react with water and form carbonic acid through the reaction -->

CO2 + H2O <--> H2CO3.

Carbonic acid is acidic, which may result in acidosis.

Answer 4

As the carbon dioxide increases in the blood, without an increase in oxygen absorption in the lungs, the pH will decrease causing an increase in breathing.