1/23/2012 - Biological Organometllics: Zinc protoporphyrin

   When asking someone of an example of an organometallic molecule within a human, one would usually answer with Hemoglobin, but there also exsists another within the red blood cells.  Zinc protoporphyrin is produced by the red blood cells under the conditions of lead inhibition of hemoglobin, or merely the lack of iron to produce the hemoglobin.  Because of this the presence of this molecule can act as a diagnostic tool to identify lead poisoning and a numerous number of ailments involving the red blood cells.  And when looking at the chemical structure below, it can be observed that with a simple replacement of an Iron, it can act as an oxygen carrier as there is a heme group in it.