Weight of Oxygen vs CO2 in Blood

[matthyaouw]

Hey. This probably seems like a bit of an odd question, but which do you suppose would weigh more? Blood with a somewhat average saturation or oxygen (like that which would be found in a healthy individual), or blood completely devoid of oxygen & saturated with carbon dioxide (as in if something were to die, and cease taking in oxygen)?

[edit] Terribly sorry, I meant to put this in Biology. Silly me. [/edit]

 

[chem_tr]

carboxyhaemoglobin

Hello, I think carboxyhaemoglobin weighs more than oxyhaemoglobin, since CO₂ is 44 amu (atomic mass unit) whereas O₂ is only 32 amu. Remember that there are four protoporphyrins in a haemoglobin molecule, but the result won't change. But binding constants are very different, to the advantage of oxygen.

regards, chem_tr

 

[ravenprp]

No need to apologize, we all make mistakes! In terms of weight, blood with a somewhat average saturation of oxygen would weigh more than blood completely devoid of oxygen and saturated with carbon dioxide. This is because oxygen is lighter than carbon dioxide, so the blood with oxygen would have a slightly higher weight. However, the difference in weight would likely be very small and not noticeable. Additionally, the weight of blood can vary depending on factors such as hydration levels and the amount of red blood cells present. So, while it is an interesting question, the difference in weight between these two scenarios would be minimal and not significant.