haem

haem US, heme [hiːm]

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biochemistry) Biochem a complex red organic pigment containing ferrous iron, present in haemoglobin

[shortened from haematin]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

haem - a complex red organic pigment containing iron and other atoms to which oxygen binds haemitin, hematin, heme, protoheme pigment - dry coloring material (especially a powder to be mixed with a liquid to produce paint, etc.) haemoglobin, Hb, hemoglobin - a hemoprotein composed of globin and heme that gives red blood cells their characteristic color; function primarily to transport oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues; "fish have simpler hemoglobin than mammals" myoglobin - a hemoprotein that receives oxygen from hemoglobin and stores it in the tissues until needed cytochrome - (biochemistry) a class of hemoprotein whose principal biological function is electron transfer (especially in cellular respiration)