Plastocyanin
Plastocyanin is a single strand
protein, (
molecular weight 10,500), that plays an integral part in
photosynthesis. This protein has a
copper center, consisting of one copper
atom surrounded by two
nitrogen bonds and two
sulfur bonds. This
tetrahedral geometry is unusual for copper compounds in nature, but seems to minimize energies of
oxidation and
reduction for the copper atom at high
pH.