Mondo Knows Facts
One haemoglobin molecule carries four oxygen molecules
Four iron-containing haem groups each bind a single oxygen molecule Haemoglobin is built from four globin chains, each folded around a haem group with an iron atom at its centre. Binding the first oxygen makes the remaining sites bind more easily, giving the protein its characteristic loading curve. A single red cell packs around 270 million of these molecules. It sits in Mondo's human body collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.
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More facts like this
The kidneys release a hormone when oxygen runs lowSpecialised kidney cells detect low oxygen and release erythropoietin into the bloodTiny sensors in the neck detect falling oxygenCarotid bodies fire within seconds when arterial oxygen dropsOxygen use stays high after exercise endsBreathing and heart rate remain raised for minutes to hours while the body recoversMost carbon dioxide travels as bicarbonateAbout seventy percent of the carbon dioxide leaving tissues rides in plasma as bicarbonate ionsA liver protein keeps fluid inside blood vesselsAlbumin is the most abundant plasma protein and holds water in the circulationBroken haemoglobin becomes the pigment bilirubinRed cell haem is recycled into a yellow-green compound that leaves the body in bile
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Tags: haemoglobin, oxygen, blood
One haemoglobin molecule carries four oxygen molecules: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Four iron-containing haem groups each bind a single oxygen molecule. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a human body fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.