Hemocyanins are proteins that transport oxygen throughout the bodies of some
invertebrate animals. These
metalloproteins contain two copper atoms that reversibly bind a single oxygen molecule (O
2). They are second only to hemoglobin in frequency of use as an oxygen transport molecule. Unlike the hemoglobin in red blood cells found in vertebrates, hemocyanins are not bound to blood cells but are instead suspended directly in the hemolymph. Oxygenation causes a color change between the colorless Cu(I) deoxygenated form and the blue Cu(II) oxygenated form.
