THE EFFECT OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND LACTIC ACID ON THE OXYGEN-COMBINING POWER OF WHOLE AND HEMOLYZED BLOOD OF THE MARINE FISH TAUTOGA ONITIS (LINN.)

Abstract

The blood was equilibrated with 155 mm. Hg. O2-pressure. Both whole and hemolyzed blood lost much of their ability to combine with O3 as the pH was lowered. The effect of CO2 and lactic acid was quite similar. Such a similarity suggests that C02 and the anions lactate and bicarbonate have no special effect beyond that of acidity. There is a contrast in the O2-affinity of whole and hemolyzed blood. This is shown by the fact that hemolyzed blood must be made approx. one pH unit lower than the calculated pH of the red cells in whole blood in order to obtain the same reduction in O2-affinity.