This text describes the functional role of the twenty inorganic elements essential to life in living organisms.

This book is written for researchers and students interested in the function and role of chemical elements in biological or environmental systems. Experts have long known that the Periodic System of Elements (PSE) provides only an inadequate chemical description of elements of biological, environmental or medicinal importance. This book explores the notion of a Biological System of the Elements (BSE) established on accurate and precise multi-element data, including evolutionary aspects, representative sampling procedures, inter-element relationships, the physiological function of elements and uptake mechanisms. The book further explores the concept Stoichiometric Network Analysis (SNA) to analyze the biological roles of chemical species. Also discussed is the idea of ecotoxicological identity cards which give a first-hand description of properties relevant for biological and toxicological features of a certain chemical element and its geo biochemically plausible speciation form. The focus of this book goes beyond both classical bioinorganic chemistry and toxicology.

The study of the chemistry of living processes has traditionally centered on the behavior of organic compounds in water - together they account for 99% of the matter in living systems. However, we also know that about twenty `inorganic' elements are also essential for life, and that they are found in similar amounts in most living systems. The authors' objective in this book is to examine and explain the importance of these elements by `bringing inorganic chemistry to life'. The authors commence with a survey of the chemical and physical factors controlling the elements of life; the essential functions of individual inorganic elements are then described in detail. A final section consolidates a major theme of the book - the cooperative interaction of elements in living systems. These chapters examine the relationships between chemical activity and morphology and the effect that changes in the availability of elements have on life - not only in providing evolutionary pressures but also in the context of the use of medicines and the spread of pollutants.

The present book might be regarded as a sequel to my previous work, Bioinorganic Chemistry: An Introduction (Allyn and Bacon, 1977). The latter is essentially a collection of chemical and physical data pertinent to an understanding of the biological functions of the various elements and the proteins dependent on them. The ten years since its publication have seen an enormous increase in research activity in this area, hence of research papers. A number of monographs and review series on specific topics have also appeared, including the volumes in the series of which the present volume is a part. Nevertheless, a gap has developed between the flood of information available at a detailed level (papers and reviews) and a general description of the underlying principles of biofunctions of the elements as presently conceived. It is hoped that this book will help bridge this gap and at the same time provide an overview of the entire Biochemistry of the Elements series. Specifically, the work attempts to focus on "why" questions, especially, "Why has an element been chosen by organisms for a specific biofunction?" and "Why does an element behave the way it does in biological systems?" It therefore complements my 1977 book and, together with Laboratory Introduction to Bio-Inorganic Chemistry (E. -I. Ochiai and D. R. Williams, Macmillan, 1979), completes a trilogy on the topic of bioinorganic chemistry. This book consists of five parts. Two chapters constitute Part I.

Part A.: Overviews of biological inorganic chemistry : 1. Bioinorganic chemistry and the biogeochemical cycles -- 2. Metal ions and proteins: binding, stability, and folding -- 3. Special cofactors and metal clusters -- 4. Transport and storage of metal ions in biology -- 5. Biominerals and biomineralization -- 6. Metals in medicine. -- Part B.: Metal ion containing biological systems : 1. Metal ion transport and storage -- 2. Hydrolytic chemistry -- 3. Electron transfer, respiration, and photosynthesis -- 4. Oxygen metabolism -- 5. Hydrogen, carbon, and sulfur metabolism -- 6. Metalloenzymes with radical intermediates -- 7. Metal ion receptors and signaling. -- Cell biology, biochemistry, and evolution: Tutorial I. -- Fundamentals of coordination chemistry: Tutorial II.

Arsenic, antimony and bismuth, three related elements of group 15, are all found in trace quantities in nature and have interesting biological properties and uses. While arsenic is most well known as a poison - and indeed the contamination of groundwater by arsenic is becoming a major health problem in Asia - it also has uses for the treatment of blood cancer and has long been used in traditional chinese medicine. Antimony and bismuth compounds are used in the clinic for the treatment of parasitic and bacterial infections. Biological Chemistry of Arsenic, Antimony and Bismuth is an essential overview of the biological chemistry of these three elements, with contributions from an international panel of experts. Topics covered include: chemistry of As, Sb and Bi biological chemistry of arsenic biological chemistry of Sb and Bi arsenic and antimony speciation in environmental and biological samples arsenic in traditional chinese medicine arsenic in aquifers biomethylation of As, Sb and Bi uptake of metalloids by cells bismuth complexes of porphyrins and their potential in medical applications Helicobacter pylori and bismuth metabolism of arsenic trioxide in blood of the acute promyelocytic leukemia patients anticancer properties of As, Sb and Bi radio-Bi in cancer therapy genotoxicity of As, Sb and Bi metallomics as a new technique for As, Sb and Bi metalloproteomics for As, Sb and Bi Biological Chemistry of Arsenic, Antimony and Bismuth conveys the essential aspects of the bioinorganic chemistry of these three elements, making this book a valuable complement to more general bioinorganic chemistry texts and more specialized topical reviews. It will find a place on the bookshelves of practitioners, researchers and students working in bioinorganic chemistry and medicinal chemistry.