Bioinorganic Chemistry

Bioinorganic chemistry is an interesting discipline that seeks to understand in depth the importance of metals in biology. This field is not only limited to natural things but also includes artificially created metals. In this article, we will understand more about this field, what is its main focus, and which principles and journals are integral to this discipline.

What is Bioinorganic chemistry and what are the main research areas of this field?

Bioinorganic chemistry is made up of three words: bio (living), inorganic (that is not organic), and chemistry (the branch of science that deals with metals, reactions, and other similar things). Together this word represents an important branch of chemistry i.e. the branch that studies the relationship between metals and biology.

Principles of biological inorganic chemistry are concerned with:

1. Studying certain natural phenomena involving metals and biology like metalloproteins

b.      Analysing the artificially created metals, their composition, and their importance.

c.   Researching on biological processes that are related to inorganic chemistry like respiration (which involves the inflow and outflow of gases).

d.  The storage and transportation of the metal ions in living cells using several techniques like Na+/k+-ATPase transporter, storage proteins, etc.

e.   How metals and non-metals impact the functioning of biological processes like photosynthesis, enzyme actions, and much more.

Importance of bioinorganic chemistry:

Bioinorganic chemistry holds significance in the field of medicine, chemistry, biology, etc. The Principles of biological inorganic chemistry help to understand

i. How electrons are transferred in proteins and how they will impact other substances,

ii. How the substrates bind with each other and activate

iii.The operating part of chemistry in group transfer, and

iv.How metals have developed their properties and their impact and application.

v. The Working of Enzymology. Enzymes are certain catalysts present in the human body. They fasten up reactions and play a key role in various processes.

vi.The field also explores certain elements that can be toxic to the body. This can help us to prevent certain diseases and infections.

vii.It holds immense importance in the field of medicine because metals are used in making several medicines. For instance, cisplatin, the widely used drug for cancer, is made up of several metals.

viii.The field even plays an important role in analysing environmental problems, like arsenic poisoning.

Further, the importance of this field increases because humans and other organisms are made up of different chemical elements like oxygen, sulphur, calcium, sodium, nitrogen, etc. These chemical elements comprise varying properties and differ from each other. This is why it is important to understand them to understand their properties.

As per different Principles of biological inorganic chemistry, the carbon in the human body is mostly in the form of essential nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, etc. Similarly, water which forms almost seventy percent of the body is responsible for utilising body oxygen and hydrogen. All these elements present in different cells of our body are contained in metallomes.

As per the studies of Biological inorganic chemistry, elements are not equally present throughout the body. Some areas might face a shortage of these elements. Therefore our body has developed certain processes to overcome this scarcity of essential elements. All these processes are deeply explained and researched in this field which helps to understand body functioning in a better manner.

Journal of biological inorganic chemistry:

Bioinorganic chemistry journal will help you know more about this field. With the help of the Journal of biological inorganic chemistry, you can understand this field in a better manner. The bioinorganic chemistry journal holds significance because it is reviewed by peers also, which makes it more comprehensive and accurate.

It is published monthly and gives detailed insights on various inorganic substances like metalloenzymes and how they help organisms. Since its inception in 1973, the journal has progressed so much that it has created its unique place (by obtaining the seventh rank) in various journals dealing with chemistry, nuclear and inorganic fields.

Understanding this field by taking the example of Certain important elements

To understand this field more comprehensively, let’s look at certain elements. We can find two types of metals in biology: Trace metals and bulk metals.

In Trace metals, let’s look at how zinc plays an important role in biology. It is useful in hydrolytic enzymes (the catalysts that are based on water), metal storage, genetic transcription, and stabilising proteins.

In Bulk metals, let’s check out the biological functions of sodium. It acts as an electrolyte in the body, helps maintain osmotic balance, transports different elements actively and passively, etc.

Similarly, other elements like Copper, Magnesium, Calcium, Cobalt, Iron, etc. play several important roles in biological functions.

Conclusion:

Bioinorganic chemistry is an important field that helps scientists to analyze the relationship between different metals, inorganic substances, and organisms. The principles of bioinorganic chemistry are used in several fields like medicine, environment, chemical reactions, and much more. It can also help in preventing certain problems by understanding which metals are responsible for what.

But still, more research is needed in this field. Interdisciplinary research can further help this branch of chemistry to progress and solve several problems.