Question

Topic= Explain the chemistry of blood plasma taking into account the role chemistry plays in our everyday life. (With the focus being a chemical compound relevant to the topic, also chemical structure of for the compound and all relevant information relating to the compound- e.g. chemical/physical properties, atomic structure of the constituent atoms, relevant chemical equations or equilibra, functional groups, acid base properties and any other molecular considerations). (Approx 500 words).

please take into account:

1) any compounds associated with the topic.

2) Reflect the topic in a scientifically acceptable way the understanding of various topics and concepts of chemistry in particular the following:

- scientific notation

- units

- significant figures

- atomic symbols

- molecular formulae

- compound naming

- polarity

- reaction types ( redox, non-redox, ionic)

- states of matter

- concentration and its associated units

- solution chemistry

Answer 1

Plasma is the clear, straw-colored liquid portion of blood that carries cells and proteins throughout the body. It is mostly water (90%), and contains important proteins(8%) (e.g., serum albumins, globulins, and fibrinogen), clotting factors, electrolytes (0.9%) (e.g., Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3−, Cl−, etc.), hormones, and glucose. The body temperature, pH and osmotic pressure of blood are maintained by the plasma.

Components of Plasma

1. Proteins: Plasma contains three major types of proteins: albumins, globulins, and fibrinogens. Of which albumin is the most abundant and maintains the osmotic pressure of the blood.

Albumin: They are water-soluble, moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experience heat denaturation.It binds water, cations (such as Ca2+, Na+ and K+), fatty acids, hormones, bilirubin, thyroxine (T4) and pharmaceuticals. On serum protein electrophoresis, albumin migrates toward the anode, just behind the prealbumin proteins transthyretin (sometimes called thyroxine-binding prealbumin [TBPA]) and retinol-binding protein. Its isoelectric point is 4.9. Albumin is a 65–70 kDa protein. Albumin comprises three homologous domains that assemble to form a heart-shaped protein.

	CONVENTIONAL UNITS	FACTOR	RECOMMENDED SI UNITS
Albumin	3.2-4.5 g/dL(salt fractionation) 3.2-5.6 g/dL(electrophoresis) 3.8-5.0 g/dL (dye binding)	10	32-45 g/L 32-56 g/L 38-50 g/L
Globulin	2.3-3.5 g/dL		23-35 g/L
Fibrinogen	200-400 mg/dL	0.01	2-4 g/L

Globulin: Globulins are of three types, alpha, beta, and gamma. The alpha globulins include the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) which are important in carrying fats to the cells for building various substances as well as for energy metabolism. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are beta globulins which transport fat to the cells for steroid and cell membrane synthesis. Antibodies or gamma globulins are also called immunoglobulins. They are produced by the B lymphocytes, a subset of the immune cells. The lightest globulins are the alpha globulins, which typically have molecular weights of around 93 kDa, while the heaviest class of globulins are the gamma globulins, which typically weigh about 1193 kDa. Being the heaviest, the gamma globulins are among the slowest to segregate in gel electrophoresis.

Fibrinogen: Fibrinogen is a large, complex, fibrous glycoprotein with three pairs of polypeptide chains linked together by 29 disulfide bonds. It is 45 nm in length, with globular domains at each end and in the middle connected by alpha-helical coiled-coil rods.

2. Electrolytes:

Name	Chemical symbol	Plasma
Sodium	Na+	136.00–146.00 (mM)
Potassium	K+	3.50–5.00 (mM)
Chloride	Cl–	98.00–107.00 (mM)
Bicarbonate	HCO3–	22.00–29.00 (mM)
Calcium	Ca++	2.15–2.55 (mmol/day)

They function in many important body processes. For instance, calcium functions in muscle contraction; sodium, chloride, and potassium function in nerve impulse transmission in nerve cells; and bicarbonate regulates pH.

3. Nutrients: Nutrients, such as glucose, fats, amino acids, minerals, and vitamins, absorbed from the gut are carried in the plasma.

	CONVENTIONAL UNITS	FACTOR	RECOMMENDED SI UNITS
Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C)	0.6-1.6 mg/dL	56.78	34-91(*10-3) mmol/L
Vitamin A	15-60 Fg/dL	0.03491	0.52-2.09(*10-3) mmol/L
Vitamin B12	160-950 pg/ml	0.7378	118-701 pmol/L
Glucose	70-110 mg/dL	0.05551	3.9-6.1 mmol/L
Fatty Acids	9-15 mmol/L	1	9-15 mmol/L