Skip to main content
Chemistry LibreTexts

29.3C: Hemerythrin

  • Page ID
    34731
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Hemerythrin is used to transport O2 in a variety of marine invertebrates. It is an octamer (eight subunits), with each subunit containing two iron atoms and binding one molecule of O2. Deoxyhemerythrin contains two Fe2+ ions per subunit and is colorless, whereas oxyhemerythrin contains two Fe3+ ions and is bright reddish violet. These invertebrates also contain a monomeric form of hemerythrin that is located in the tissues, analogous to myoglobin. The binding of oxygen to hemerythrin and its release can be described by the following reaction, where the HO2 ligand is the hydroperoxide anion derived by the deprotonation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2):

    \[\ce{2Fe^{2+} + O2 + H^{+} <=> 2Fe^{3+}–O2H} \label{23.17}\]

    Thus O2 binding is accompanied by the transfer of two electrons (one from each Fe2+) and a proton to O2.


    29.3C: Hemerythrin is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

    • Was this article helpful?