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What is hemoglobin?
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Quick Answer
Hemoglobin is the iron-containing protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body and gives blood its red colour.
The Full Story
Each hemoglobin molecule is made of four protein chains, each holding an iron-containing heme group that can bind one oxygen molecule. That means a single hemoglobin molecule can carry four oxygen molecules. Each red blood cell contains around 270 million hemoglobin molecules. Oxygen-rich blood is bright red, while blood low in oxygen is a darker red, though never blue as is sometimes claimed. Max Perutz worked out hemoglobin's 3D structure using X-ray crystallography, sharing the 1962 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Key Facts
1.Each hemoglobin molecule carries up to 4 oxygen molecules
2.A red blood cell holds about 270 million hemoglobin molecules
3.Max Perutz shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for its structure
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Suggested video title for this topic:
"The molecule that makes your blood red"