porphyrin
a dark red, photosensitive pigment consisting of four pyrrole rings linked by single carbon atoms: a component of chlorophyll, heme, and vitamin B12.
Origin of porphyrin
1Words Nearby porphyrin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for porphyrin
/ (ˈpɔːfɪrɪn) /
any of a group of pigments occurring widely in animal and plant tissues and having a heterocyclic structure formed from four pyrrole rings linked by four methylene groups
Origin of porphyrin
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for porphyrin
[ pôr′fə-rĭn ]
Any of various organic pigments containing four pyrrole rings bonded to one another. The rings form the corners of a large flat square, in the middle of which is a cavity that often contains a metal atom. Porphyrins occur universally in protoplasm and function with bound metals such as iron in hemoglobin and magnesium in chlorophyll.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse