When air (21 mole % oxygen, 79 mole % nitrogen) is placed in contact with 1000 cm3 of liquid water at body temperature 36.9°C, and 1 atm absolute, approximately 14.1 standard cubic cm (cm3(STP)) of gas are absorbed in the water at equilibrium. Subsequent analysis of the liquid reveals that 33.4 mol% of the dissolved gas is oxygen and the balance nitrogen.
A) Estimate the Henry’s law coefficients (atm/mol fraction) for oxygen and nitrogen at
36.9°C based on the information in the problem.
B) An adult absorbs approximately 0.4 g O2/minute in the blood flowing through the lungs. Assuming blood behaves like water and it enters the lungs free of oxygen, estimate the flow rate of blood into the lungs.
C) The actual flow rate of blood into the lungs is 5 L/min. Identify any assumptions made in part B) to cause this discrepancy.
