Answer:
What happens immediately after hemoglobin binds to carbon dioxide in the body's cells is that carbon dioxide is carried through the blood vessels back to the lungs.
Explanation:
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a waste product that comes from cell metabolism, and is potentially harmful, so it must be eliminated. The hemoglobin molecule that reaches the tissues loaded with oxygen (O₂) releases it, increasing its affinity for CO₂, which binds to it.
Once CO₂ is attached to the hemoglobin in the red blood cells, it travels through the blood vessels, the veins, to reach the right side of the heart and pass to the lungs, where it will be released with expiration.
The other options are not correct because:
- CO₂ must be transported by the blood before it is exhaled through the lungs.
- CO₂ is not exchanged for O₂ in the hemoglobin, the hemoglobin must release O₂ before it can bind to the CO₂.
- CO₂ does not diffuse into the plasma, but must bind to the hemoglobin molecule to be transported.
