Hemocyanin
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Hemocyanin is a respiratory pigment that replaces hemoglobin in the blood of crustaceans and mollusks. It is colorless in its reduced state and turns blue upon oxygenation, containing copper instead of iron.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
HEMOCYANIN, a respiratory pigment replacing hemoglobin in the blood of crustaceans and mollusks. In its reduced form, hemocyanin is colorless; in its oxidized form, it has a blue color. Hemocyanin does not contain iron, but contains copper in a rather weakly bound state. Binding oxygen, hemocyanin turns into crystalline oxyhemocyanin. The chemical nature of hemocyanin is unknown. In the blood pigments of some mollusks, manganese has been found instead of copper (Griffiths); the blood pigment of ascidians contains vanadium (Henze).
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“Hemocyanin.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/hemocyanin/