B.

Tech

Module 2.3

Bio Inorganic chemistry

Bio Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry which deals with the
study of the materials and the chemical changes in the living organisms in
all their different phases of activity. The study includes the biochemical
changes involved in the origin of living matter, its growth, reproduction etc.
it also includes biochemical processes like digestion, excretion, reactions
leading to growth, multiplication of cells, production of energy etc. the
chemical compounds involved in these processes are known as
biomolecules. The cations of certain metals have significant biological role.
Sodium and potassium ions are present in all types of cells. Many enzyme
reactions are also controlled by sodium and potassium ions.

Magnesium and calcium ions are important in many biological reactions.

Plants absorb light for photosynthesis from sun in presence of chlorophyll
which contains magnesium. Calcium as its phosphate is an essential
constituent of bones, teeth and horns of animals calcium ions also play an
important role in muscle contraction. Energy is stored in biological system
in the form of pyrophosphate linkages (present in ADP and ATP). Both
magnesium and calcium act as catalysts in the formation of these linkages.
Hydrolysis of phosphate linkages is accompanied by release of energy.
Alkaline earth metals such as calcium and magnesium ions also control
many enzyme reactions.

I. Importance of Sodium, Potassium and Chlorine

 Sodium and chlorine is available in the diet as sodium chloride.
Potassium is obtained from all foods obtainable from plants and
animals. Potassium is also present in tea, cocoa, green leafs
vegetables, milk, fish, beef liver, dried apricots, bananas, pine
apple, potatoes etc. the deficiency of sodium in mammals may be
due to diarrhea, prolonged perspiration, vomiting etc. the presence
of sodium in the blood and interstitial fluids is one of the major
factors in determining the osmotic pressures of these fluids.

Sodium is the main extracellular cation and potassium is the main

intracellular cation. These two ions and chlorine are completely
absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.

Functions:
The metabolism of these elements is related to certain fundamental
physiological changes.

a. Maintenance of normal hydration and osmotic pressure

Na+ and K+ ions help in maintaining the normal osmotic pressure of
different fluids in the body. They protect the body against excess loss
of fluids. Sodium, being the extracellular cation of the fluid, plays the
major role. The reason is that osmotic pressure, being a colligative
property, depends upon the number of cations in the fluid.

b. Maintenance of acid base equilibrium

 Sodium and potassium salts of weak acids with the corresponding
weak acids form buffer systems. They help to check an appreciable
change in pH under different physiological conditions.

c. Maintenance of proper viscosity of blood

The sodium and potassium ions help in regulating the degree of
hydration of the plasma proteins in the blood and thus control its
viscosity.

d. Neuro muscular irritability

Sodium and potassium ions play a major role in maintaining the
normal irritability and excitability. The irritability can be expressed as
below:

e. Secretion of digestive fluids

NaCl of blood provides gastric HCl medium while sodium and
potassium salts in blood provide alkaline juices like pancreatic juice
and bile.

f. Transport of carbon dioxide

These ions also help in the transport of carbon dioxide.

g. In the storage of protein and glycol

 Potassium passes into intracellular fluid during cell growth or its
repair. Also when 1gm of glycogen gets stored in the liver, 0.15
milliequivalent of potassium passes into the intracellular fluid.

Excretion

Sodium and chlorine are excreted by the kidneys through urine. Also NaCl
goes out through perspiration. Potassium is also excreted by kidneys in the
urine. In general, the intake of these elements is almost equal to that
excreted. But in case of abnormal body conditions, the excretions may
increase or decrease leading to their hyper or hypo levels in plasma.

II. Toxic metals and their Toxicity

Almost all the heavy metals are potentially toxic. Ex: Pb; As; Hg; etc.
They cause damage to some vital organs such as liver, kidney, etc. the
toxic character of the metals may be due to
a. Combination with SH group of essential enzymes to form ring
compounds. In this way, enzymes get deactivated.
b. Complex formation with amino, phosphate or carboxylate groups.
Some common toxic metals are lead, arsenic, mercury, antimony etc.

A. Toxicity of lead

Lead is deposited in bones, teeth and brain.

Sources

1. Lead is used in paints, pesticides, glass ceramics, lead pipes, lead

storage batteries etc.
2. Tetra ethyl lead used as an anti knocking agent of petrol.
 3. Mining and smelting of lead ores like galena.

Impacts on living system

1. In haem synthesis, Pb2+ can inhibit the activity of important enzymes.

It leads to hematological disturbances.
2. Pb2+ damages kidney, liver and gastro intestinal tract.
3. Organic lead [TEl,TMl] is more dangerous than inorganic lead.
4. Higher levels of lead in body causes loss of teeth, weight loss, brain
damage, renal disorder etc.

Treatment

Lead poisoning is cured by introducing Ca - EDTA complex which can

give lead chelates. It is excreted in the form of urine.

B. Toxicity of arsenic
Arsenic is the most toxic metal. Organic arsenic is more toxic than
inorganic arsenic.
Sources
1. Arsenic compounds used as pesticides [fungicides, insecticides,
herbicides or germicides] in agriculture.
2. Sea water contains 2 to 5 ppm of arsenic
3. Sulphide ores generally contain arsenic impurity.

Effects of As on living systems:

1. Arsenic is a protoplasm poison. It affects all systems in the body.

 2. Arsenic in the body causes, weight loss, brain damage, renal
disorder, paralysis and even death.
3. As+3 poisoning causes vomitings, blood motions, damage kidney
function, skin diseases and convulsions etc.

Treatment

1. Arsenic poisoning can be controlled by injection dimer caprol [2, 3

disulfanyl propan 1 ol] and also by giving milk, raw eggs etc.

C. Toxicity of mercury
Mercury is the most toxic heavy metal. Mercury vapour and compounds
are toxic. Organo mercury compounds are more toxic than inorganic
mercury compounds.

Sources
1. Mercury is used in electrolytic cells for the production of NaOH and
Cl2.
2. Mercury compounds used as fungicides and germicides, in
agriculture for treating seeds.
3. Mercury vapour is used in electrical industries, used in mercury
vapour lamps, batteries, switches and rectifiers.
4. Mercury enters the food through algae, fish bacteria and land
mammals.

Impacts on living system

1. Mercury vapours inhaled can cause giddiness, tremors, lungs and

brain damage.
 2. Mercuric ions inhibit enzymes, particularly those containing thiol (
SH) groups which may lead to brain damage.
3. Central nervous system (CNS), loss of vision, deafness, madness
and death.
4. Inorganic mercury compounds mainly attack liver and kidney.
Ex: About 50 persons died at Minamata (Japan) eating fish
contaminated by mercury compounds

Treatment

Mercury poisoning can be controlled by giving injection dimer caprol

and also by giving milk, raw eggs etc.

III. Metallo porphyrins

Porphyrins are a group of pigments. These chiefly occur in animal and
plant tissues. These possess heterocyclic structure formed from four
pyrrole rings linked by four methylene groups. The metalloporphyrins are
porphyrins which contain a metal. For example, chlorophyll and
haemoglobin are compounds of porphyrin containing Mg and Fe metal
ions respectively.

A. Haemoglobin
Haemoglobin is the red pigment in the red blood cells. Iron in Fe2+
state, is an essential constituent of haemoglobin.
It is a globular protein consisting of 4 polypeptide chains and the
remaining is the prosthetic group Haem.
Haem is a porphyrin complex which contains Fe+2, bonded to four N
atoms. Haemoglobin has molecular weight of nearly 65,000 units.
 In general 100ml of blood contains 14.5 grams of haemoglobin.

Functions of haemoglobin:
1. As oxygen carrier
Iron is an essential constituent of haemoglobin which transports
oxygen from lungs to other tissues.
In the body, haemoglobin combines with oxygen to form unstable oxy
haemoglobin. It loses its oxygen on way to various parts of the
organism.
Hb + O2 HbO2
 Oxy haemoglobin
2. Oxygen supplies to muscles

The muscles store oxygen in combination with myoglobin. That is

used for metabolism whenever necessary.

3. Haemoglobin acts as buffer

Haemoglobin acts as a buffer in the body, due to the presence of

histidine residue. Its isoelectric point is 6.8

4. Formation of carboxy haemoglobin

Haemoglobin combines with carbon monoxide to form stable carboxy

haemoglobin. In the presence of carbon monoxide, it loses the
capacity of absorbing oxygen. It leads to different levels of
intoxication depending on the amount of CO and the time of exposure
of the gas.

5. Haemoglobin is also important for transportation of carbon dioxide

from cells to lungs.
6. Action with weak acid and bases

Haemoglobin reacts with weak acid or a base to form Haem and

Globin.

Chlorophyll

One of the important complexes formed by magnesium ion is chlorophyll. It

is the green pigment in plants, especially leaves. It is present in
protoplasmic bodies called chloroplast. It is a complex, which contains
Mg2+, bonded to four N atoms.

The natural chlorophyll is mixture of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in

3:1 ratio. The structure of chlorophyll a is written as shown in the
structure below.

Functions of chlorophyll

1. Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants, which absorbs light in the

red region from sun light, and makes the energy available for
photosynthesis.
 In photo synthesis, light energy is converted to chemical energy. In
the process of photo synthesis plants can prepare carbohydrates like
glucose, starch in the presence of chlorophyll and sunlight and
liberates oxygen gas. The steps involved in the formation of the
carbohydrate.

2. Chlorophyll also helps in maintaining O2 + CO2 equilibrium. O2 is given

out and CO2 taken in photosynthesis. Almost all life ultimately depends
on chlorophyll and photo synthesis, in some way or the other.
Nitrogenase enzyme
Nitrogenase is an enzyme which is responsible for fixing nitrogen in
biological systems. Primitive bacteria and also some blue green algae
can fix nitrogen under mild conditions. Nitrogenase consists of two
proteins (i) one contains one or two atoms of molybdenum, 15 atoms of
iron and a higher average content of sulphur (ii) other contains two
atoms of iron and some sulphur.

Nitrogenases from a large number of bacterial extracts were obtained

in 1960 for the first time. In each case, nitrogenase is found to contain
 two proteins (i) one with molecular mass (~ 25000) and (ii) the other with
molecular mass 70000 amu. Individually, neither of them was active but
on mixing, activity is observed. It has been assumed that molybdenum
atom or atoms fix the dinitrogen and the iron atom participates in one or
more redox chains that supply the electrons to reduce nitrogen to
ammonia. Nitrogenase is a versatile enzyme. It converts compounds
containing multiple bonds between nitrogen atoms into the
hydrogenated compounds.
Ex: N N. The enzyme functions only in the absence of oxygen. The
reduction of nitrogen (N2) to with nitrogenase involves the following
steps.

N N [HN NH] [H2N - NH2] 2N

Nitrogen Diimide Hydrazine
Ammonium ion

Assignment questions

1. What are toxic metals? Explain toxicity of any two metals.

2. Write a note on the functions of haemoglobin in the human body.
3. Practice writing the structure of chlorophyll-a. Give the functioning of
chlorophyll.