Question

A patient with respiratory alkalosis has a blood plasma pH
p
H
of 7.58. What is the [OH−]
[
O
H
−
]
of the blood plasma?

Answer 1

We can use the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation to calculate the [OH−] of the blood plasma:

pH = pKa + log([A-]/[HA])

Where pKa is the dissociation constant of water (14), A- is the conjugate base (OH−) and HA is the acid (H2O). Rearranging the equation, we get:

[OH−] = 10^(14-pH)

Substituting the values, we get:

[OH−] = 10^(14-7.58)

[OH−] = 2.52 × 10^−8 M

Therefore, the blood plasma has an [OH−] of 2.52 × 10^−8 M.