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CO2 Transport: Bicarbonate and Carbaminohemoglobin

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Blood carries carbon dioxide mostly as bicarbonate ion, formed with help from carbonic anhydrase, with smaller amounts dissolved directly in plasma or bound to hemoglobin as carbaminohemoglobin.

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Bicarbonate formation at the lungs reverses, releasing carbon dioxide gas that then diffuses out through exhalation.

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Most carbon dioxide travels as bicarbonate, not directly bound to hemoglobin, despite oxygen's more direct hemoglobin-binding pathway.