carbon dioxide and its behaviour in acid base balance
The disolved carbon dioxide increases the acid content of the human body. This happens when a carbon dioxide molecule bumps into a water molecule. Carbon dioxide makes water break into hydrogen and hydroxide ion. Hydroxide merges with the carbon dioxide molecule creating bicarbonate ion. Sometimes the hydrogen ion can become part of increasing acidity. Sometimes the hydrogen ion combines with the bicarbonate molecule and make carbonic acid. Carbonic acid could turn into carbonate ion and two hydrogen ions. This is what makes the human body acid base balance. The amount of bicarbonate is staying the same because the bicarbonate that does get converted into carbonic acid or carbonate ion an equal amount of bicarbonate is created from water and carbon dioxide. This just results in a huge amount of hydrogen ions.