Where does this come from, and can I check it?

About seventy percent of the carbon dioxide leaving tissues rides in plasma as bicarbonate ions. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a human body fact?

Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

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Most carbon dioxide travels as bicarbonate

About seventy percent of the carbon dioxide leaving tissues rides in plasma as bicarbonate ions Carbon dioxide diffuses into red cells, where the enzyme carbonic anhydrase turns it into carbonic acid that splits into hydrogen and bicarbonate ions. Bicarbonate exits into the plasma while the hydrogen is buffered by haemoglobin. In the lungs the whole reaction runs backwards and the gas is exhaled. It sits in Mondo's human body collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Science trivia

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Tags: blood, carbon-dioxide, chemistry

Most carbon dioxide travels as bicarbonate: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: About seventy percent of the carbon dioxide leaving tissues rides in plasma as bicarbonate ions. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a human body fact?: Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.