A novel experiment that simulates a pulse oximeter has been created for allied health (nursing) majors, for whom measuring percent oxygenation of hemoglobin is important to their careers.  The experiment could be adapted to other non-science majors and high schools.  Buffered solutions of bovine oxyhemoglobin are spectrophotometrically analyzed by multi-component analysis before and after treatment with different pHs and temperatures and on exposure to cigarette smoke.  Partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and therefore pH, is changed by subliming dry ice and bubbling the resulting carbon dioxide gas through the solution.  Temperature is changed using a water bath.  Cigarette smoke is obtained using a water aspirator-based smoking device in a fume hood.  The ratio of absorbance readings at 541 and 556 nm is calculated, and the percent oxygen saturation of hemoglobin (%SaO2) is interpolated from a calibration curve.  Students relate their observations of solution colors and their %SaO2 results to patient conditions of acidosis, fever, and smoking.  Experiment development, experiment procedure, and typical student data will be presented.

Measuring oxygen saturation of hemoglobin using spectrophotometry: A pulse oximetry-related experiment for general, organic, and biological (GOB) chemistry students

246th National Meeting (2013)

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