Iron Man

Came across this today doing some miscellaneous reading and it completely surprised me. I always thought I had a basic knowledge of overall science (enough, say, to win 4 out of the 5 boxes in a column on Jeopardy!), but I had absolutely no idea that

C₇₃₈H₁₁₆₆FeN₂₀₃O₂₀₈S₂

the chemical makeup of a molecule of Hemoglobin, consists of 2,318 atoms!

That’s right. There are 2,318 atoms of six different types in a single molecule of hemoglobin. Hydrogen is the most, followed by Carbon, then Oxygen and Nitrogen, just two atoms of Sulfur, and, finally, a sole single atom of Iron. (The chemical symbol for Iron is “Fe”, from the Latin word ferrum.)

Yet without that one atom of Iron, it would be impossible for hemoglobin to transport oxygen to your cells. Life would not be possible. You would die.

Amazing, isn’t it?

I shoulda been a scientist. I love stuff like this.