porphin

noun

por·​phin ˈpȯr-fən How to pronounce porphin (audio)
variants also porphine
: a deep purple crystalline compound C20H14N4 that is made synthetically from pyrrole and formaldehyde, contains four pyrrole rings joined by =CH− groups so as to give a heterocyclic arrangement, and forms the essential skeletal structure of the porphyrins, heme, and chlorophyll

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Cite this Entry

“Porphin.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/porphin. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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