Bioinorganic Chemistry

Introduction: Essential and trace elements, principles of coordination chemistry in biological systems, HSAB concept, chelate effect, Irving Williams series, pKa values of coordination ligands, tuning of redox potential, biopolymer effects, ligand exchange rates, substitution raeactions, electrone transfer reactions.

Molecular mechanism – ion transport across membranes, active transport of Na-K (ion pumps). Chlorophyll and their role in photosynthesis, (Calcium cycle and quantum efficiency) PS I and PS II system.

Calcium in Biological Systems: calcium in living cells, transport and regulation of Ca²⁺ ions in higher organisms, molecular aspects of intramolecular processes, extracellular binding proteins.

Metal Storage and Transport: Structure and function of Ferritin, Transferrin, Siderophores, haemoglobin, myoglobin, haemocyanin and haemerythrin.

Electron transport proteins: Structure and function of cytochromes with special reference to cytochrome c, iron sulphur proteins- ferredoxins. biological nitrogen fixation and its mechanism, nitrogenenases, dinitrogen complexes as models for nitrogen fixation. dioxygen model complexes of Fe, Co and Cu.

Zinc enzymes: carboxypeptidase and carbonic anhydrase, alcoholic dehydrogenase. iron enzymes: catalase, peroxidase and cytochrome P-450. copper enzymes: superoxide dismutase, xanthine oxidase, vitamin B₁₂ and B₁₂ coenzymes.

Fe, Zn and Cu deficiency, toxicity: Cu overload and wilson’s disease, iron toxicity, toxicity of As, Cd, Hg and Pb. Metal complexes in medicines, chelation therapy, BAL, penicilamine, poly amino carboxylic acid and desferrioxamine-gold compounds, rheumatoid arthritis, pt complexes as anticancer drug, metal complexes in radiodiagnosis, MRI.

Basics- nucleic acid structure, fundamental interactions and reactions with nucleic acids, applications of different metal complexes that binds nucleic acids, conformational probes, metal-nucleic acid interactions with special references to zinc finger protein.