In tissues, the phenomenon where increased CO2 and decreased pH cause Hb to release O2 is known as the Bohr effect.

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Multiple Choice

In tissues, the phenomenon where increased CO2 and decreased pH cause Hb to release O2 is known as the Bohr effect.

The key idea is how CO2 and pH influence hemoglobin’s ability to hold onto or release oxygen to tissues. When tissues metabolize, CO2 rises and pH falls as carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid and releases hydrogen ions. Those extra protons bind to hemoglobin, altering its shape to a form that releases O2 more readily. So in tissues, higher CO2 and lower pH drive O2 off hemoglobin where it’s needed—the Bohr effect. This is the mechanism behind the rightward shift of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve under acidic, high-CO2 conditions, facilitating oxygen delivery. The Haldane effect is about CO2 transport depending on oxygenation state, not this tissue-delivery mechanism, and the right shift is a consequence rather than the named phenomenon itself.

The key idea is how CO2 and pH influence hemoglobin’s ability to hold onto or release oxygen to tissues. When tissues metabolize, CO2 rises and pH falls as carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid and releases hydrogen ions. Those extra protons bind to hemoglobin, altering its shape to a form that releases O2 more readily. So in tissues, higher CO2 and lower pH drive O2 off hemoglobin where it’s needed—the Bohr effect. This is the mechanism behind the rightward shift of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve under acidic, high-CO2 conditions, facilitating oxygen delivery. The Haldane effect is about CO2 transport depending on oxygenation state, not this tissue-delivery mechanism, and the right shift is a consequence rather than the named phenomenon itself.

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