Biochemical Role
Bicarbonate is alkaline, and a vital component of the pH buffering system of the human body (maintaining acid-base homeostasis). 70 to 75 percent of CO2 in the body is converted into carbonic acid (H2CO3), which can quickly turn into bicarbonate (HCO3−).
With carbonic acid as the central intermediate species, bicarbonate – in conjunction with water, hydrogen ions, and carbon dioxide – forms this buffering system, which is maintained at the volatile equilibrium required to provide prompt resistance to drastic pH changes in both the acidic and basic directions. This is especially important for protecting tissues of the central nervous system, where pH changes too far outside of the normal range in either direction could prove disastrous. (See acidosis, or alkalosis.)
Bicarbonate also acts to regulate pH in the small intestine. It is released from the pancreas in response to the hormone secretin to neutralize the acidic chyme entering the duodenum from the stomach.
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