Describe the distribution of water in the body and the function of constituents of body fluids. Explain the contributions of water and solutes to the maintenance of a constant internal environment of cells.

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P3, m3 describe the distribution of water in the body and the function of constituents of body fluids. Explain the contributions of water and solutes to the maintenance of a constant internal environment of cells.       

Constituents of body fluid.  

The main component of all body fluids mainly consists of water; of this 90% include blood plasma, lymph, urine, saliva, digestive juices, bile, cerebrospinal fluid and also tissue fluid. To ensure the flow of fluids water plays an important role for the onward progression of these fluids, without water this would not be possible. Water also allows substances to be transported around the body (e.g. red blood cells) as well as supplying the medium that is needed for metabolic reactions top take place (e.g. respiration)

Water that is made as a by product of metabolic reactions this is not enough to sustain life, therefore the water has top be taken in as part of the diet. Water is always being transported between the fluid compartments of the body.

Glucose

Urea

Metabolic reactions produce surplus amino acids that can then be converted into the waste product urea through the process of deamination in the liver. Proteins that are obtained through the diet are broken down into amino acids. Excess amino acids can not be stored in the body as they can become toxic, due to their nitrogen component (NH2), therefore they have to be converted into the less toxic urea and then removed as a component of urine.

Deamination (step-by-step)

  1. Nitrogen component is converted into ammonia.
  2. Transported through cell membrane into tissue fluid, then to the blood into the liver
  3. Ammonia attaches with carbon dioxide to form urea
  4. Released into the blood, through the kidneys
  5. Out as urine.
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Acids, bases and salt

An acid is a substance that can donate a hydrogen ion (which can effectively be referred to as a proton, as when hydrogen loses its only electron, it only has a proton left). They have a pH of less than 7. There are two types if acids:

Weak acid – usually an organic compound with a small amount of dissociated molecules.

Strong acid - usually an inorganic compound with a large amount of dissociated molecules.

Hydrochloric acid is produced in the stomach from chorine and hydrogen. Carbonic acid is produced red blood cells from carbon ...

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