Transport of gases through hemoglobin solution

Abstract

A mathematical theory is developed to explain the observed enhancement of oxygen transport through solutions by hemoglobin. At high partial pressures of oxygen, ordinary diffusion through the solvent accounts for all transport of oxygen, but at low partial pressures the transport may be increased many fold by the presence of hemoglobin. This phenomenon is explained and the possible role of this phenomenon in living organisms is discussed. The theory also indicates a new method of determining dissociation curves from diffusion experiments.