Bioinorganic Chemistry

Pre requisite: Essential and trace elements, macrominerals - a general idea of metal ions in biological systems: bulk and trace metals with special reference to Na, K, Mg, Fe, Cu

• Principles of Co-ordination chemistry in biological systems, HSAB concept, chelate effect, Irving William 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

Metal Storage and Transport: Ferritin, Transferrin, Siderophores, Celluloplasmin,and  serum albumin for copper.

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.

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

Fe, Zn and Cu deficiency in 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, 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.