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The pH of blood refers to how acidic it is. Changes to blood pH can signal underlying medical issues. The pH scale, otherwise known as the acid-base scale, runs from 0 to 14. It measures how acidic a solution of a substance in water is. For example, pure water has a pH of 7. Solutions with a low pH have a high concentration of hydrogen ions and are acidic. Solutions with a high pH have a lower concentration of hydrogen ions and are alkaline, or basic. The pH scale is a compact scale, and small changes in pH represent big leaps in acidity. This article will look at what the normal pH level of blood is and what can cause the pH level to move outside of this range. It will also examine what can happen to the body if blood pH levels go above or below the normal range. Normal blood pH levels The pH of blood in the arteries should be between and for the body’s metabolic processes and other systems to work well. These processes produce acids, so the body has a complex system of feedback and regulation to maintain healthy pH levels. Much of the acid made in the body is carbonic acid. This forms when carbon dioxide combines with water. Carbon dioxide occurs within the tissues of the body due to the process of respiration. The lungs and the kidneys are the two main organs that regulate the pH of the blood, often at the same time. There are also chemical buffering mechanisms throughout the body’s cells. The lungs can help regulate blood pH rapidly through the process of exhaling carbon dioxide, sometimes producing changes within seconds. For example, when someone exercises, they produce more carbon dioxide, so they breathe faster to prevent the blood from becoming too acidic. The kidneys regulate the pH of the blood by excreting acids in urine. They also produce and regulate bicarbonate, which increases blood pH. These changes take longer than those that occur due to breathing, potentially taking hours or days. Problem: The pH of a sample of blood is 7.4. The pH of a sample of gastric juice is 1.4. The blood sample has: A) times lower [H ] than the gastric juice. B) 6 times lower [H ] than the gastric juice C) 6,000 times lower [H ] than the gastric juice D) a million times lower [H ] than the gastric juice E) times the [H ] as the gastric juice #pHOfTheBlood #PH #bloodPh #phProblem #acidic #basic
