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Bohr effect

noun \ ˈbȯr- \
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Definition of Bohr effect

: the decrease in the oxygen affinity of a respiratory pigment (such as hemoglobin) in response to decreased blood pH resulting from increased carbon dioxide concentration in the blood

Origin and Etymology of bohr effect

Christian Bohr †1911 Danish physiologist

Medical Dictionary

Bohr effect

noun \ ˈbō(ə)r-, ˈbȯ(ə)r- \

medical Definition of Bohr effect

: the decrease in oxygen affinity of a respiratory pigment (as hemoglobin or hemocyanin) in response to decreased blood pH resulting from increased carbon dioxide concentration

Biographical Note for bohr effect

  • Bohr, Christian (1855–1911), Danish physiologist. Bohr is known for two contributions to medical science: an 1891 study of the exchange of gases in respiration and the discovery that the affinity of blood for oxygen depends on carbon dioxide pressure. This discovery was reported in 1904 and is now known as the Bohr effect.

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