Why is pH important to biology?

Answer 1

acidity level

Answer 2

In humans, pH of the blood is critically important to maintaining life. Carbon dioxide and carbonic acid buffer system maintain the pH within a very narrow range.

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Life is a series of biochemical reactions. Metabolism tends to create acid waste products, which are neutralized by several pathways.

I used to work in the Emergency Room, and participated in several Codes Blue, meaning that a person was not breathing, and the heart was not pumping blood. Within seconds, the body's chemical reactions, with no blood circulating to pick up these wastes and neutralize them within the buffering system, the blood's pH would rise so high that the chemical reactions could no longer continue, and life was lost.

The doctors would order "Blood gases" and inject 50 milliliters of baking soda solution directly into the heart, to bring the pH down to a level in which the chemistry could continue, if, after defibrillation, the heart could be started again.

The thing that I always marveled at, was the very narrow range of blood pH. The blood gases measure the pH level and the carbon dioxide and carbonic acid buffer base, and free hydrogen ion, as well as oxygen.

Someone else has already explained pH in your answers. What I want to explain is that in humans, the range of arterial blood pH is only about one hundred of ten thousandths of one pH. I cannot remember exactly, and anyway, different machines give slightly different readings, so that pH is interpreted by the doctors based on the system in use. But I think it's like 7.385 to 7.437. If the pH is not corrected within seconds, life is gone.

The hemoglobin of the red blood cells carry oxygen and carbon dioxide, and without breathing, the oxygen percentage decreases, and without circulation, the carbon dioxide percentage increases, and the pH rises. CPR is an effort to mechanically circulate blood, and force oxygen into the lungs. This can help keep the pH from getting so high that organ systems die.

Answer 3

pH is critical to biology as pH is the measure of how acidic something is. Acidity refers to the activity of Hydrogen atoms in any checmical compound (including people, as example). FWIW, pH actually means Pondus Hydrogenii (hence, PH).
The reason it's important in biology is that every living thing has a range of pH within which it can live. Something to acidic may kill things but also something to "basic" will do the same. "7" is considered neutral where things very acid get closer to zero (and in some instances can even go below zero) and "14" is considered "basic" or Alkaline" and something things that are very alkaline may be over 14, but this is also rare.

If an organism is at equilibrium at "3", for instance, it would be acidic. If it was put into a pH environment of "8" for instance, it could well die from the imblance. Whether something dies has to do with its ability to adapt. Beyond this, we'd have to get into a lot more chemistry.

I hope this helps.

Take Care,

TBG

Answer 4

For other uses, see pH (disambiguation).

The correct title of this article is pH. The initial letter is capitalized due to technical restrictions.

Acids and bases:

Acid-base reaction theories
pH
Self-ionization of water
Buffer solutions
Systematic naming
Electrochemistry
Acids:

* Strong acids
* Weak acids

Bases:

* Strong bases
* Weak bases

pH is a measure of the acidity of a solution in terms of activity of hydrogen ions (H+). For dilute solutions, however, it is convenient to substitute the activity of the hydrogen ions with the molarity (mol/L) of the hydrogen ions (however, this is not necessarily accurate at higher concentrations [1] [2]).

In aqueous systems, the hydrogen ion activity is dictated by the dissociation constant of water (Kw = 1.011 × 10−14 M2 at 25 °C) and interactions with other ions in solution. Due to this dissociation constant, a neutral solution (hydrogen ion activity equals hydroxide ion activity) has a pH of approximately 7. Aqueous solutions with pH values lower than 7 are considered acidic, while pH values higher than 7 are considered basic.

The concept was introduced by S.P.L. Sørensen in 1909, and is purported to mean "pondus hydrogenii" in Latin.[3] However, most other sources attribute the name to the French term pouvoir hydrogène. [4] [5] [6] In English, pH can stand for "hydrogen power,"[4] [5] [6] "power of hydrogen," [7] [8] or "potential of hydrogen."[3] [9]

Answer 5

pH is important in regulating the nature and rate of chemical reactions necessary to support life. In endothermic organisms (regulate body temperature with metabolic heat: like humans), pH is maintained within a very narrow range. In ectothermic organisms ("cold-blooded") that use behavioral means of regulating body temperature) pH varies inversely with body temperature.
Some examples:
pH ultimately controlls the rate at which you breathe;
pH determines the dissociation of oxygen and carbon dioxide from hemoglobin (relative to breathing and metabolic process)
pH determines the dissociation of chemicals and helps regulate chemical reactions in the body, especially buffer systems and enzymes.
pH determines the balance of reactions which occur in aquatic systems relative to things like carbon dioxide, bicarbonates; sulfer.

Answer 6

well, without it, maybe we can't cure some diseases.
And to break down starch, you need alkali for amylase to work.

Answer 7

for procreation