Carbon dioxide transport CO2 is carried in blood in three different ways. (The exact percentages vary depending whether it is arterial or venous blood). Most of it (about 70%) is converted to bicarbonate ions by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase in the red blood cells by the reaction ; about 7% is dissolved in the plasma; and about 23% is bound to hemoglobin as carbamino compounds.Vander's Human Physiology reported similar numbers: 60% carried as bicarbonate, 30% bound to hemoglobin as carbaminohemoglobin, and 10% physically dissolved.
Carbon dioxide transport CO2 is carried in blood in three different ways. (The exact percentages vary depending whether it is arterial or venous blood). Most of it (about 70%) is converted to bicarbonate ions by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase in the red blood cells by the reaction ; about 7% is dissolved in the plasma; and about 23% is bound to hemoglobin as carbamino compounds.Vander's Human Physiology reported similar numbers: 60% carried as bicarbonate, 30% bound to hemoglobin as carbaminohemoglobin, and 10% physically dissolved