CHEMISTRY 451

Bio-Inorganic Chemistry

Bio-inorganic chemistry is a rapidly expanding area and provides an important bridge between chemistry and biology. Students will study a variety of biological systems involving both main-group and transition metals.

CHEM 221 and CHEM 321

The course will be based on the required text. The course will also make use of reprint materials.

• Introduction - Essential and non-essential elements. Cycles of macronutrients and trace elements. Biological ligands and ligand specificity. Hard and soft acids and bases. Stability constants. Kinetics of aquo exchange processes. Binding residues in amino acids;
• Phosphorus Chemistry - Transport enzymes involving ATP. Kinases, role of group IA and IIA cations. Cell membranes;
• Review of Protein Structure, Enzymes, Coenzymes;
• Metals in Photosynthesis - Role of magnesium and manganese;
• Dioxygen Carriers and Storage - Hb Mb Hc and Hr and O2 binding. Synthetic models for oxygen-binding proteins. O2 activation. Monooxygenases. Cytochrome P450. Tyrosinase. Methene mono--oxygenase. Role of copper. Dioxygenases and oxidases. Superoxide Dismutase. Horse Radish Peroxidases. Catalase;
• Electron Transfer Processes - Cytochrome a, b and c. Blue copper protein. Fe-S protein. Molybdoenzymes and cabalamins; Non-Redox Metalloenzymes;
• Nitrogen Fixation - Nitrogenases. Nitrate reductase. Fe and Mo proteins and enzymes;
• Pharmaceuticals - Therapeutic activity of chelating agents. Platinum complexes in chemotherapy;
• Biological chemistry of gold complexes. Radiopharmaceuticals;
• Toxicity of Heavy Metals and Other Elements - Toxicity of Cu, Cd, Pb, Hg, Se, As, Be, V, Cr, Mn, Ni;Physical Methods - Illustrative examples involving electronic spectroscopy, ORD, CD, EXAFS, ESR, NMR, Mossbauer spectroscopy and cyclic voltametry;