Porphyrin

[MiaRosati3L]

Hello! I know that porphyrins are chemicals that help make hemoglobin and that they have four subunits, but is there anything else about porphyrins that we might need to know for the final exam?

[Jaylin Hsu 1C]

Hi, so porphyrin ligands are tetradentate and form a heme complex, a type of coordination compound. A heme complex plus a protein produces myoglobin, which helps transport oxygen in muscle cells. Four myoglobin molecules can come together and make hemoglobin, which helps transport oxygen in the blood. Hope this helps!

[JennyZhu1K]

That helped so much thank you! Are there any other specific biological applications that we might need to know with ligands?

[MiaRosati3L]

Hi, so porphyrin ligands are tetradentate and form a heme complex, a type of coordination compound. A heme complex plus a protein produces myoglobin, which helps transport oxygen in muscle cells. Four myoglobin molecules can come together and make hemoglobin, which helps transport oxygen in the blood. Hope this helps!

Wonderful, thank you very much!

[MiaRosati3L]

That helped so much thank you! Are there any other specific biological applications that we might need to know with ligands?

Here's a list of some transition metals in coordination compounds and their biological applications that could be fair game for the final:
Chromium, Cr → Assists insulin in control of blood sugar
Iron, Fe → Myoglobin, hemoglobin, e- transfer in the oxidation of carbohydrates, proteins, fats (respiratory chain)
Cobalt, Co → Vitamin B12
Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn → Critical for enzyme function

Also, as a general note, transition metals have many oxidation states, which is good for e- transfer. Additionally, transition metals are often bound to a cage-like molecule, such as in the case of porphyrin.