Thermal Diffusion with Chemical Reaction: A Carrier System

The heat of transport of oxygen across a membrane mediated by hemoglobin (Hb) as a carrier is iuvestigated by the method of irreversible thermodynamics. It is assumed that oxygen combines with hemoglobin molecules to form oxyhemoglobin according to the reaction nO2 + Hb=HbOzn. The oxyhemoglobin molecule HbOzn then migrates to a new position and is reconverted to Hb by releasing oxygen. It is shown that the heat of transport of oxygen consists of two contributions; one due to the reaction and the other from thermal diffusion of individual species present. Total oxygen flux across the membrane is also calculated in terms of temperature and the chemical potential difference of oxygen across the membrane. The use of the heat of transport as a measure of the efficiency of the heat pump for the carrier‐mediated transport process is investigated.