* Carbonic Acid (H2CO3) dissociates into H+ (Hydrogen ions) & HCO3 (bicarbonate ions)
* Electrical neutrality is maintained by moving CI- ion into RBC when HCO3 moves out; “chloride shift.”
* Increases in CO2 decrease the pH of blood (making it more acidic)
* HCO3 converts back to CO2, and you exhale it
* Process reverses when blood reaches alveoli