Why does hemoglobin bind oxygen in the lungs and release it in
the tissues?
In the lungs, the partial pressure of oxygen is high. Since
oxygen appears on the left side of the reaction, the equilibrium will
shift towards the right, product side of the reaction, increasing the
concentration of oxygen-bound hemoglobin.
In the tissues, the partial pressure of oxygen is quite low.
The equilibrium will shift towards reactants and the bound oxygens
will be given up in the tissues.
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