Oxygen Dissociation Curves (AQA A-Level Biology): Flashcards

📚Flashcards
Oxygen Dissociation Curves
Sign up to keep revising.Create a free account to study more flashcards and track your progress.

Practise the cards

10 cards from this deck

Show

Oxygen dissociation curve shows

% Hb saturation vs O2O_2 partial pressure

Shape of oxygen dissociation curve

S-shaped (sigmoid)

Cause of S-shaped curve

Positive cooperativity

Why initial O2O_2 binding to Hb is difficult

4 polypeptide subunits tightly packed in quaternary structure

Positive cooperativity

1st O2O_2 binding makes subsequent O2O_2 binding easier

Why curve flattens after 3rd O2O_2 binds

Fewer available sites due to probability

Left-shifted curve meaning

Higher affinity for oxygen

Right-shifted curve meaning

Lower affinity for oxygen

Left-shifted curve loading trait

Loads readily at lower partial pressures

Right-shifted curve unloading trait

Oxygen unloads more readily

Join 100,000+ A-Level students studying Flashcards with us.

Select your subjects, and get access to A+ resources today.