Biological Inorganic Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity

The long awaited text for 21st century courses in biological inorganic chemistry is now available. Organized and edited by Ivano Bertini, Harry Gray, Ed Stiefel, and Joan Valentine, with contributions from many other world leaders in the field, this all-new book is equally appropriate for graduate or senior undergraduate courses in bioinorganic chemistry. The book has been extensively class-tested at Princeton and UCLA, and it includes tutorials in biology and biochemistry and in inorganic chemistry to aid students of varying backgrounds. The main text is divided into two parts. Part A, Overviews of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, sets forth the unifying principles of the field. A full course in bioinorganic chemistry could be based entirely on this overview section, which is a really a book within a book! Part B, "Metal-Ion Containing Biological Systems," describes specific classes of systems in detail. A special feature is the strong connection to the genomic revolution that has dramatically enhanced our ability to define the function of gene products in living organisms. Throughout the book, protein data bank codes are given for structures discussed in the text, and students are encouraged to learn to use the PDB in their courses and research. This exciting new book will be a must read for years to come for all students and researchers interested in the field of biological inorganic chemistry.

Ivano Bertini is Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Magnetic Resonance Center of the University of Florence. His main research interests are the advancements in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the expression and preparation of metalloproteins, their structural characterization and the investigation of their interactions with emphasis on understanding cellular processes at the molecular level. He has over 600 papers and many books. Harry Barkus Gray is the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry and the Founding Director of the Beckman Institute at the California Institute of Technology. His main research interests center on inorganic spectroscopy, photochemistry, and bioinorganic chemistry, with emphasis on understanding electron transfer in proteins. For his contributions to chemistry, which include over 700 papers and 17 books, he has received many honors including the National Medal of Science from President Ronald Reagan. Edward I. Stiefel, Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University and associated faculty member of the Princeton Environmental Institute until his untimely death in summer of 2006. His research involved the role of metal ions in biological systems including: iron in marine environments, especially the iron storage and DNA protective proteins ferritin and Dps; the biological production of hydrogen by phototropic hydrogenases and theoretical studies of hydrogenase action; the role of molybdenum in biology; and aspects of metals in medicine. Joan Selverstone Valentine is Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA. She is a leading figure working at the interface of inorganic chemistry and biology and has published over 200 research papers and several books, and her work is widely cited.