Question

You are a scientist in a lab who has discovered a mutated form of hemoglobin. This new mutant hemoglobin has 6 heme groups rather than the normal 4 hemes. How many oxygens can this new mutant hemoglobin carry?

a) 4
b) 6
c) 8
d) 12

Answer 1

A mutated form of hemoglobin with 6 heme groups can carry 6 oxygen molecules, since each heme group is able to bind one oxygen molecule.

Step-by-step explanation:

The number of oxygen molecules that a hemoglobin molecule can carry is directly correlated with the number of heme groups it contains. Normal hemoglobin consists of four globin proteins, each bound to a molecule of heme, which means that each hemoglobin molecule can transport four oxygen molecules because each iron ion in the heme can bind to one oxygen molecule. Therefore, if a mutated form of hemoglobin has 6 heme groups instead of the usual 4, it would be able to carry 6 oxygen molecules since each heme group can bind one oxygen molecule.

So, the answer to the question "How many oxygens can this new mutant hemoglobin carry?" is b) 6 oxygen molecules.