Abstract
MANY compounds have been tested for their ability to react with the oxygen-binding site of haemocyanin and it has been found that thiourea1 and thiocyanate2 cause the expulsion of oxygen from Helix pomatia haemocyanin with a consequent decrease in the absorption of the copper bands at 346 and 570 mµ. This effect was almost completely reversed by dialysis or by treatment with an anion exchange resin. A report on the exchange reaction of ethyl isocyanide with oxygen in oxyhaemoglobin3 encouraged us to investigate the effect of this compound on haemocyanin. Ethyl isocyanide does not remove copper from haemocyanin, but it does cause a decrease in the copper bands, which presumably indicates the expulsion of oxygen.
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WOOD, E., BANNISTER, W. Reaction of Ethyl Isocyanide with Haemocyanin. Nature 215, 1091 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/2151091a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2151091a0
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