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Card 11 / 14:
Describe the conservation of bicarbonate ions in the renal system.
Bicarbonate ions are freely filtered through the glomerulus. They cannot pass freely into the renal tubular cells and must be converted into CO 2 in the filtrate, which can pass through the cell membrane. Sodium ions are reabsorbed at the membrane, and hydrogen ions are expelled into the filtrate. The hydrogen ions combine with bicarbonate, forming carbonic acid, which dissociates into CO 2 gas and water. The gas diffuses into the renal cells where carbonic anhydrase catalyzes its conversion back into a bicarbonate ion, which enters the blood.
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