The hemoglobin (Hb) molecule within the red blood cell (RBC) carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues, transports carbon dioxide from tissues back to lungs, and helps maintain acid–base balance.

Does hemoglobin carry co2 and o2?

Hemoglobin: The protein inside red blood cells (a) that carries oxygen to cells and carbon dioxide to the lungs is hemoglobin (b). Hemoglobin is made up of four symmetrical subunits and four heme groups.

Does hemoglobin carry oxygen?

Hemoglobin contains iron, which allows it to pick up oxygen from the air we breathe and deliver it everywhere in the body. You can think of hemoglobin as the iron (“heme”), oxygen transport protein, (“globin”) found in red blood cells. It’s the hemoglobin that gives red blood cells their color, too.