What is an oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve?

It is the sigmoid plot of hemoglobin oxygen saturation against PO2. Teaching figures mark P50 (the PO2 at 50% saturation, about 27 mmHg), a tissue point near 40 mmHg / 75%, and an arterial point near 100 mmHg / 97%. This generator draws that set as SVG.

Is this the same as a Bohr model or a hemoglobin structure diagram?

No. The Bohr shift on this page is the left or right move of the O2-Hb curve. The Bohr-model maker draws electron shells around a nucleus. The protein-structure page draws hemoglobin as a fold cartoon. If you need atoms or ribbons, use those tools; this page is SO2 versus PO2.

Can I download a blank oxyhemoglobin worksheet?

Yes. Choose Blank worksheet on the Precise Diagram tab and download the SVG. The axes stay in the same places as the labeled figure so students can mark P50 and the sigmoid shape.

What do right shift and left shift mean?

A right shift raises P50, so saturation is lower at the same tissue PO2 and more oxygen is unloaded. A left shift lowers P50 and holds more oxygen at the same PO2. Fetal hemoglobin is drawn as a left-shifted overlay on the adult curve.

Does this plot a real arterial-blood-gas or pulse-oximeter tracing?

No. The curve is a hardcoded teaching relationship (Severinghaus 1979, with P50 scaling for shifts). It is meant for a lecture or review figure, not for diagnosing a patient or replacing a measured ODC.

Medical Tool

Oxygen-Hemoglobin Dissociation Curve Generator dissociation curve

Q: Is the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve generator free?

The precise, engine-drawn SVG is free to use and free to download, with no sign-up. Sign in only if you want AI illustrations or other ConceptViz tools. AI file downloads on this page use the journal takeaway wall.

Free oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve generator. Draw the sigmoid SO2–PO2 plot, mark P50, and download labeled, blank, left-shift, or right-shift SVG.

Sigmoid SO2 versus PO2 with P50Labeled, blank, left or right shiftFetal Hb and optional myoglobinDownload a watermark-free SVG — free

Sigmoid SO2 versus PO2 as SVG: P50, tissue and arterial marks, left or right shift — free, no account

Curve options

Adult hemoglobin uses the Severinghaus teaching relationship. Shifts move P50. This is not pasted arterial-blood-gas data.

Title

Oxygen-Hemoglobin Dissociation Curve Examples

All six images are exact engine renders of the Precise Diagram tab.

View:

Labeled adult curve

Exact engine render — Severinghaus teaching curve, not a patient ABG.

labeledP50ODC

Blank worksheet

Exact engine render — same sigmoid, labels removed for revision.

blankworksheetunlabelled

Right shift

Exact engine render — higher P50 unloads more O2 at the same PO2.

right-shiftBohr-effectP50

Left shift

Exact engine render — lower P50 holds more O2 at the same PO2.

left-shiftP50

Fetal vs adult

Exact engine render — fetal Hb sits left of the adult teaching curve.

fetalHbF

Myoglobin overlay

Exact engine render — myoglobin is hyperbolic, hemoglobin is sigmoid.

myoglobinhyperbola

What the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve is

The oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve (also called the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve, oxygen dissociation curve, or ODC) is the sigmoid plot of hemoglobin saturation (SO2) against partial pressure of oxygen (PO2). This page draws that lecture figure as an exact SVG. It is not a hemoglobin ribbon cartoon, and it is not the atomic Bohr model. Use the protein-structure page when you need subunits and heme drawn as a picture; use the Bohr-model maker only for electron shells.

What the traces lock

Adult hemoglobin follows the Severinghaus (1979) teaching relationship. Standard P50 is 26.8 mmHg, and saturation at P50 is 50%.
Tissue teaching point: PO2 40 mmHg ≈ 75% saturation. Arterial teaching point: PO2 100 mmHg ≈ 97% saturation.
The adult curve is sigmoid: steepest near P50, flatter on the arterial plateau. Myoglobin is a rectangular hyperbola (Hill n = 1), not an S-shape.
Right shift raises P50 and lowers saturation at the same PO2 (CADET: CO2, acid, 2,3-DPG, exercise, temperature). Left shift does the reverse. Fetal Hb is a left-shifted overlay, not a new axis.

Labeled, blank, shifts, fetal, and myoglobin

Start with the labeled adult curve so the room can see P50 and the 40 / 100 mmHg marks. Use the blank copy of the same axes for a self-test. Right-shift and left-shift overlays keep the adult curve on the plot so the direction is visible. Fetal versus adult and the optional myoglobin overlay match the usual lecture-pack variants people search as “oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve,” “ODC P50,” and “Bohr shift.” The Bohr shift on this page is the physiology shift of the O2 curve. It is not the Bohr atomic model.

Precise SVG vs AI illustration

The Precise Diagram tab is the version for class and papers: P50, sat(40), sat(100), and shift direction are fixed in code. The AI Illustration tab is only for slide mockups. Check every P50 mark and left/right overlay against the precise traces before you project the file or put it in a paper. Do not ask the AI tab for a Bohr atom or a default hemoglobin cartoon.

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