Mechanisms of the Body to Balance These Solutions: Difference Between Acidic and Basic Solutions

¶ … Acidic and Basic Solutions and the Mechanisms of the Body to Balance These Solutions

The objective of this study is to explain the difference between acidic and basic solutions and the mechanisms the human body has to balance acidic and basic solutions. According to The Merck Manual the "degree of acidity or alkalinity" is an important blood property. (2014, p.1) The acidity of blood increases at the time that the level of "acidic compounds in the body rises" and this may be due to increases in production or increases in intake as well as decreases in elimination or when the "basic (alkaline) compounds in the body falls." (The Merck Manual, 2014, p. 1) The alkalinity of the body is reported to increase when the process reverses. It is reported that the balance of the body between the alkalinity and acidity is spoken of at the acid-base balance. The Merck Manual states that any solution's "acidity or alkalinity…including blood, is indicated on the pH scale." (2014, p. 1) The blood acid-base balance is a process that is controlled precisely since even a small deviation from the range that is normal has the potential to critically impact many organs of the body. The role of the lungs is an important one in view of the body's mechanisms to control blood pH. The lung's role is reported to "involve the release of carbon dioxide from the lungs. Carbon dioxide is reported to be "mildly acidic" and to be a "waste product of the metabolism of oxygen, and, as such is constantly produced by cells." (The Merck Manual, 2014, p. 1) Carbon dioxide, a waste product is "excreted into the blood and then is carried by the blood to the lungs and the lungs exhale the carbon dioxide. The regulation of the exhalation of carbon dioxide is conducted by the brain through "controlling the speed and depth of breathing." (The Merck Manual, 2014, p. 1) As the carbon dioxide is exhaled by the lungs the blood's pH increases as "breathing becomes faster and deeper. By adjusting the speed and depth of breathing, the brain and lungs are able to regulate the blood pH minute by minute." (The Merck Manual, 2014, p. 1) The kidneys also play a great role in impacting the pH of the blood because of their excretion of "excess acids or bases." (The Merck Manual, 2014, p. 1) However, these adjustments are made by the kidneys much slower than those made by the lungs. The body also has what are known as 'buffer systems' which is another mechanism the body uses in controlling the pH of the blood and guarding against acidity and alkalinity when it makes quick shifts. The pH of these buffer systems work in a chemical process that minimizes shifts in the pH of a solution through making an adjustment in the amount or proportion of the base and acid. The Merck Manual reports that the "The most important pH buffer system in the blood involves carbonic acid (a weak acid formed from the carbon dioxide dissolved in blood) and bicarbonate ions (the corresponding weak base)." (2014, p.1) There are reported to be two acid-base balance abnormalities including the following: