Bio – Inorganic chemistry.

Bio-Inorganic chemistry

Topics covered:

• What is Bio – Inorganic chemistry?
• Importance of Bio – Inorganic chemistry.
• Metals in Bio – Inorganic chemistry.
• Inorganic compounds in Bio – Inorganic chemistry.
I. Metal complexes as Oxygen Transport and storage:
1. Hemoglobin – Oxygen Transport –
2. Myoglobin – Oxygen storage –
3. Hemerythrin Oxygen Transport –
4. Hemocyanin Oxygen Transport
II. Redox – Proteins or Electron Transport.
1. Cytochromes
2. Ferridoxins
3. Ruberdoxins
4. Blue copper proteins
III. Iron Transport and storage:
1. Transferrin – Iron transport
2. Ctalase – Iron transport
3. Ferritin – Iron Storage
4. Hemosiderin – Iron Storage
IV. Photosynthesis
1. Chlorophyll
V. Metallo enzymes:
1. Carboxypeptidase
2. Carbonicanhydrase
3. Nitrogen fixation
4. Xanthine Oxidase
5. Aldehyde Oxidase
6. Catalase
VI. Vitamin B12
VII. Anti Cancer Drugs
1. Cis-platinum.
2. Carboplatinium.

Bio inorganic chemistry is a branch of chemistry which deals about the interactions between the biological functions of leaving organisms such as oxygen transport and storage, electron transport, iron transport and storage, photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation with the metals of inorganic compounds.

Bio – Inorganic chemistry – Syllabus, Reference Books and Weightage (Class video):

I. Metal complexes as Oxygen Transport and storage:

Hemoglobin, Porphyrin Ring System, De Oxy Hemoglobin and Oxy Hemoglobin (Class video):

Hemoglobin – cooperativity & Perutz Mechanism or Trigger Mechanism, sigmoid curve, Bhor Effect or PH Effect, Met Hemoglobin (Class Video):

2. Myoglobin:
2. Myoglobin (Class Video:

3. Hemerythrin:
3. Hemerythrin (Class Video:

4. Hemocyanin – Hc:
Hemocyanin – Hc (Class Video:

1. The Name Hemocyanin confusingly suggests that the presence of a Heme group and Cyanide ion. But Hemocyanin doesn’t contain either the heme group or the cyanide ion. The name Hemocyanin simply means “Blue Blood”.

2. Hemocyanin is a Protein, Non – Heme; copper containing, Di nuclear, Oxygen transport, Respiratory pigment, in many species of Mollusca (whelks, snails, and squid) and Arthropoda (lobsters, crabs, shrimps, horseshoe crabs, scorpions).
3. In both Mollusca and Arthropoda, The gross molecular structures of the hemocyanin are quite different. But In both Mollusca and Arthropoda, the dioxygen binds cooperatively and the dioxygen – binding centers are similar, this indicated by the spectroscopic evidence.
4. Hemocyanin does not exist as Monomer; it always exists with several sub units. Hemocyanins isolated from arthropods and mollusks are hexameric (Molecular weight per unit 75,000. While those from mollusks posses 10 or sub units each with molecular weight 3, 50,000 to 4, 50,000.
5. In Hemocyanin each sub – unit posses a long protein chain.
6. The folded protein chain of one sub – unit of the deoxy form is buried with in the metalloprotein are two adjacent Cu (I) centers. The two cooper atoms are non- bonded i.e. the Cu…Cu = 354 pm. Each cooper atom is bound by three Histidine residues.
7. Hemocyanin carries more than one O2 molecule in the form of peroxides O22 – based on the oligomeric structure of Hemocyanin.
8. Hemocyanin can also exhibit cooperativity: Hemocyanin does not exist as Monomer, it always exists with several sub units, and they were found as multiples of six 6, 12, 24, 48, recently other sub units were also found. 2, 10, 20… hence, Hemocyanin can also exhibit cooperativity.