Carbon monoxide (CO) is toxic because it binds more strongly to the iron in hemoglobin (Hb) than does oxygen (O2), as indicated by these approximate standard free-energy changes in blood.
reaction A: Hb + O2 --> HbO2, Delta G = -70 kJ/mol
reaction B: Hb + CO --> HbCO, Delta G = -80 kJ/mol
Estimate the equilibrium constant K at 298 K for the equilibrium HbO2 + CO <--> HbCO + O2.
The hints are: 1) Calculate Gibbs free energy and 2) Calculate the value of lnK.