Chemistry
The Role of Carbonate Buffer in Maintaining Blood pH Homeostasis
Quick fact
The bicarbonate buffer system is so effective that even a single drop of strong acid added to your blood would be neutralized before it could alter your pH by even a tiny fraction—thanks to an open system where the lungs and kidneys continuously recycle the buffer components.
Why this is interesting
Your blood must stay within a razor-thin pH range, but every meal and breath constantly tries to push it off balance. What silent chemical mechanism keeps you alive?