Physiology 2130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Proximal Tubule, Collecting Duct System, Methanol
5 Mar 2016
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Many chemical reactions that take place in the body are very sensitive to the presence of hydrogen ions. Hydrogen ions can alter the shape of proteins that act as enzymes that speed up chemical reactions as a result, any change in the concentration of hydrogen will affect the activity of almost every cell. Therefore, it is essential that every hydrogen concentration be carefully regulated. The hydrogen atom has a single proton (positively charged) and a single electron (negatively charged) this results in an electrically neural element. A hydrogen ion is a hydrogen atom that has lost an electron, leaving only the positively charged proton. In some situations, the hydrogen atom may be called a proton because it is positively charged. An acid is any molecule that will release hydrogen ions when put in a solution. It is the presence of free hydrogen ions that makes a solution acidic the more hydrogen, the more acidic solution.
