Chlorite dismutase

Chlorite dismutase, also known as Chlorite O₂-lyase (EC 1.13.11.49), is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

Reactions that generate oxygen molecules are exceedingly rare in biology and difficult to mimic synthetically. Perchlorate - respiring bacteria enzymatically detoxify chlorite, ClO−
2, the end product of the perchlorate, ClO−
4 respiratory pathway, by converting it to dioxygen, O₂ and chloride, Cl⁻. Chlorite dismutase is a heme-containing protein, but it bears no structural or sequence relationships with known peroxidases or other heme proteins and is part of a large family of proteins with more than one biochemical function.