b.) Fick\'s law of diffusion can be stated as: \'\'The rate of transfer of a gas

Question

b.) Fick's law of diffusion can be stated as: ''The rate of transfer of a gas through a sheet of tissue is proportional to the tissue area and the difference in gas partial pressure between the 2 sides and inversely proportional to the tissue thickness.'' Use Fick's law to calculate how much oxygen diffuses into the lung via gas-exchange at the alveoli-capillary interface. Blood A human lung houses approximately 300 million alveoli rendering the surface area of the lung very large (75 m^2). The distance between the blood and the air within the alveoli is approximately 0.7 micrometers. The partial pressure of oxygen in the alveoli shall be 100 mm Hg and 40 mm Hg in the blood capillary. The diffusion capacity DLO2 is approximately 20 ml/(min mmHg). The diffusion capacity depends on the area of the tissue, the thickness of the tissue, and the gas to be transported.

Explanation / Answer

The above given equation is used :

dV/dt = (Tissue Area / Tissue thickness) x D (P1 - P2) = DLO2 (P1 - P2)....................... (1)

Tissue area = 75 m2

Tissuethickness = 0.7 micro meters = 0.7 x 10^-6 m

P1 = 100 mm Hg

P2 = 40 mm Hg

D= 20 ml/(min mm Hg)

1 ml / min = 1.66

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