Final Blog

Well, this is finals week for this semester, and our last blog assignment is to talk about the three most useful things that we have learned this semester in Bio Inorganic. After a little reflecting, I decided that the three most useful things to me have been coordination chemistry, metals in medicine, and photosynthesis.

Coordination chemistry, although a very broad topic, is one of the most valuable things I have learned about because it is the basis for inorganic chemistry. Knowing how different ligands interact with metal centers is how you begin to understand the inorganic chemistry of biological systems. Looking at what kind of ligands you have (i.e. monodentate, bidentate, ect...) helps predict the structure of complex ions. I was also able to apply coordination chemistry in Organic Chemistry lecture when we were learning about metal catalysts.

I found metals in medicine to also be very valuable for the simple reason that I, like many of my classmates, plan on going into the medical field. I really enjoyed learning what the different roles each metal has in medicine, such as cisplatin (platinum complex) for anticancer use or Li2CO3 to treat prophylaxis bipolar disorder. These are things that I will be able to use in the many years left of my schooling.

Finally, I thought that our lessons on photosynthesis were useful, at least for me, because I have always struggled with photosynthesis in biology classes. Looking at photosynthesis and photosystem II from a chemistry standpoint instead of a biology one really helped my overall understanding of these systems. I also chose to do my presentation on artificial photosynthesis and used that as an opportunity to expand and improve my understanding on the energy production of plants.

Signing off one last time

-The High School Chemist

Bertini Textbook Critique

This semester of school is quickly coming to an end, and this week in Bio Inorganic, we were assigned to give the pros and cons of the textbook, Biological Inorganic Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity, we have used this year. Throughout this semester, I have had many mixed feelings about this textbook; there are times when I really enjoy what I am reading and learning, and then there are also times when I have to read something multiple times just to obtain a basic understanding of the material. My favorite part of the Bertini text was Chapter 8: Metals in Medicine. The beginning of the chapter has a well laid out table, briefly stating what role each active complex/metal plays in medicine. Then, each metal is discussed in detail, along with many useful structures and reactions. This chapter, I felt, was the best in complimenting the lecture. The lecture hit all of the important facts about metals in medicine, and we were able to reference many of the structures from the text, which enhanced my understanding of the lesson. I felt that the biggest flaw of this book was that there was such an immense amount of information and such depth of each topic, due to it being written on a graduate level. I am not trying to say that the book is not well written, I just think that it did not suit this undergraduate class very well. An instance where I found myself having to reread much of the information would be the section in Chapter 10 on photosystem II. Having only had a basic introduction to photosynthesis, it is hard to read the textbook for studying purposes while trying to filter out unneeded info or comprehend not so difficult concepts written on a complex level.

-The High School Chemist

Lead in Chocolate???

This week in bio inorganic, we were assigned to look through a series of topics and report on one we found interesting. I chose to talk about chocolate for no other reason than it is the best sweet treat in the world. When I began reading, I was quite surprised to find that the topic was about lead contamination in chocolate. This is apparently becoming a problem, being most prevalent in Mexican chocolate. The reason this is so, is because chili and tamarind are often used in Mexican chocolates, and these two particular "flavor additives" are grown in lead rich soil. The chili peppers are then dried, and this further concentrates the lead that was absorbed during the growing process. All of the articles that I read stressed that the lead poisoning in children is most concerning. This is because it takes a lot less lead to affect children than it does adults, and also because most of the poisoned chocolate is marketed toward children, such as in halloween candy. Lead poisoning mainly affects the nervous system, and the side affects range anywhere from depression, to forgetfulness, to hypertension. From what I have gathered, this is an ever-growing problem, and something needs to be done to help reverse it. Here are some pics of "lead lines" in the x-rays of children. The one on the left is of a three year old and the other is of a five year old.

-The High School Chemist

Sources
-http://www.faculty.virginia.edu/metals/cases/sheehan1.html
-http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1166899/lead_contamination_in_chocolate.html?cat=5
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1459956/

Methane Monooxygenase

This week in Bio Inorganic, we were assigned to write on a metalloenzyme that we were assigned to research a week or two ago. The enzyme that I was assigned was methane monooxygenase (I'm going to call it MM). This enzyme catalyzes the formation of methanol, which is the first key state in the oxidative metabolism of methane. In more simple terms, MM helps turn CH4 into CH3OH. This enzyme is also capable of oxidizing the C-H bond of other alkanes. MM is found in methanotrophic bacteria, which metabolize methane as their only source of carbon and energy. These bacteria play a key role in cycling carbon in anaerobic systems. There are two types of MM: soluble, which contains an iron center bridged by an oxygen (Fe-O-Fe), and particulate, which utilized copper as its center. The particulate MM is poorly understood, and there is much more research to be done on this type. Each Fe in MM has a six coordinate octahedral environment. The oxidation state of the iron is III or II depending on which part of the reaction it is in. The spin state goes from 5/2 to 2, which is also dependent on the step of the reaction. The ligands are mostly O based with one N based ligand on each of the Fe. The resting, oxidized, and reduced structures of MM can be seen by following the first link. If you follow the second link, you can view the catalytic cycle and mechanism of MM.

-The High School Chemist

Sources
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MMOstates.JPG
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MMOcycle.JPG
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane_monooxygenase

Celestite

This week in Bio Inorganic, we were assigned to find a bio mineral that contained a metal other than Fe, Ca, of Si, and inform our classmates on the mineral. I chose to report on Celestite (Strontium Sulfate). Celestium is believed to have metaphysical properties such as clarity of mind, clear communication skills, balancing energies, and calming capabilities. This mineral is also thought to be excellent for use in dream recall and astral travel. That was the extent that I looked into those uses on account of they seemed a bit coo coo to me. Not so much the energy part, but the astral travel. Anyway, back on topic. Because Celestitie is made of strontium sulfate, it can be used as an ore/source of strontium. Only trace amount of strontium are found in the human body, but recent studies have shown that strontium is similar to calcium in that they absorb into human bone in a similar manner. This discovery has lead to the making of strontium supplements, and these supplements have significantly increased bone mineral density. Strontium, however, has a benefit that calcium does not. While both calcium and strontium inhibit bone resorption, strontium simultaneously stimulates bone growth. No other natural substance or drug is known to provide this dual effect. There is still research going on for strontium because not all of the biological harms and benefits are known about this element. Dr. Mullins found some cool pictures of this crystal for me, and if you would like to see them, just follow the first link below.

-The High School Chemist

-http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/geophys/celestite.html

-http://www.algaecal.com/strontium.html

Magnetic Circular Dichroism (MCD)

Ok, so this week in bio inorganic, I was assigned Magnetic Circular Dichroism to research and give a short synopsis of in class. MCD "measures the difference in electronic absorption of left and right circularly polarized light in a longitudinal magnetic field." What I understood this to mean was that a sample was placed in a magnetic field and then hit with circularly polarized light and then I got lost. I'm not exactly sure what happens when the light hits the sample and what exactly the detectors pick up, so any info on that would be greatly appreciated. I did however learn that MCD is very useful in determining the metal center oxidation state and spin state in a complex ion. Also, MCD gives electronic excited state properties and assignments and ground state magnetic properties (g-values, spin state, zero-field splittings, and magnetic couplings). Some of the limitations of MCD are that detailed electronic assignments are difficult for low-symmetry metal centers, or that it is not useful for investigating non-chromophoric (without color) metal centers. That was kind of the quick intro to MCD, so some parts may be confusing. Feel free to leave questions or info to help clarify my confusion. Thanks

-The High School Chemist

#1 Element: Vanadium

In my Biological Inorganic Chemistry class, we were assigned an element and asked to find three biological uses for the given element. The element I was assigned is vanadium and its role/uses in biological functions is still somewhat unclear. Vanadium is widely know for its toxicity, so only traces of it are found in the human body. Though unclear exactly how vanadium works in the human body, these traces of vanadium are connected to the thyroid and glucose and lipid metabolism, and a deficiency of vanadium causes a malfunction of these biological pathways. The most promising medical use for vanadium is its use in the treating of diabetes (aka "the sugar"). Vanadium is useful in this field because it has properties that mimic insulin, but not all of the effects of vanadium are positive, such as it blocking many essential enzymes, and this is why it is not used in products on the market. There is also a possibility that vanadium complexes could be used to treat tumors or parasites, but there is still much research and testing to be done before vanadium will be used to treat such things. While vanadium shows some promise for biological/medical uses, there are still too many uncertainties on its effects on the human body.

-The High School Chemist
Sources
-http://www.scitopics.com/Vanadium_Biochemistry_Toxicology_and_Pharmacology.html
-http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TCR-4BWYSB8-1&_user=10&_coverDate=04%2F21%2F2004&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1621022979&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=110286a61342394abc5768e8b007c2bf&searchtype=a
-http://www.diabetesnet.com/vanad.php#axzz1CBFn2fl4