Ion redistribution after acid load

Effect of an HCl load on the distribution of Cl^–, Na⁺, and K⁺. As H⁺ enters the cells to be buffered, intracellular Na⁺ and K⁺ leave the cells and move into the extracellular fluid, tending to raise the plasma K⁺ concentration. These ion shifts are reversed when H⁺ are removed from the extracellular fluid.