The chloride shift refers to the movement of chloride ions
- A. out of the red cell as oxygen enters
- B. into the red cell to balance the hydrogen carbonate ions leaving it
- C. from the plasma into the alveolar air
- D. into the plasma from the kidney tubules
Explanation
As hydrogen carbonate ions formed inside the red cell diffuse out into the plasma, the cell would be left with a net positive charge, so chloride ions move in to keep it electrically neutral. This exchange lets the red cell keep converting carbon dioxide rapidly all the way through the tissue capillaries. In the lungs the whole sequence runs in reverse and chloride moves back out.
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