Hemoglobin by molecules such as carbon monoxide (for example, from tobacco smoking, exhaust gas, and incomplete combustion in furnaces). CO competes with oxygen at the heme binding site. Hemoglobin's binding affinity for CO is 250 times greater than its affinity for oxygen, meaning that small amounts of CO dramatically reduce hemoglobin's ability to transport oxygen. Since carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas, and poses a potentially fatal threat, carbon monoxide detectors have become commercially available to warn of dangerous levels in residences. When hemoglobin combines with CO, it forms a very bright red compound called carboxyhemoglobin, which may
Hemoglobin electrophoresis Hemoglobin electrophoresis Hemoglobin electrophoresis is a blood test that can detect different types of hemoglobin. It uses the principles of gel electrophoresis to separate out the various types of hemoglobin and is a type of native gel electrophoresis. The test can detect abnormal levels of HbS, the form associated with sickle-cell disease, as well as other abnormal hemoglobin-related blood disorders, such as beta thalassaemia and hemoglobin C. It can also be used to determine whether there is a deficiency of any normal form of hemoglobin, as in the group of diseases known as thalassemias. Different hemoglobins have different charges, and