Protein Data Bank - A Beginner's Guide
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Biological Inorganic Chemistry: Structure & Reactivity edited by Bertini, Gray, Stiefel, and Valentine
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Biological Inorganic Chemistry: Structure & Reactivity edited by Bertini, Gray, Stiefel, and Valentine was published by University Science Books (copyright 2007). It is a detailed text divided into 2 parts. Part A gives "Overviews of Biological Inorganic Chemistry" while Part B goes into more specifics of "Metal Ion Containing Biological Systems." Several prominent bioinorganic chemists have contributed chapters to the book in their various areas of expertise.
Medicinal Applications of Organometallic Compounds
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This learning object focuses on concepts of bioorganmetallic chemistry. I use an article published in Chemical and Engineering News (Dagani, R. “The Bio Side of Organometallics,”Chem. Eng. News, 2002, 80(37), pp 23-29) to introduce students to this field. This activity consists of two components, namely writing a two-page summary of the article and using an in-class activity focused on the concepts of geometry, Crystal Field Theory (CFT) and proposing a mechanism for an overall chemical reaction.
Metals in Biological Systems - Who? How? and Why?
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This learning object was developed collaboratively by members of the IONiC Leadership Council. The overall goal is to provide a general overview of metals in biological systems and introduce students to several of the important ideas in the field of bioinorganic chemistry. Topics include toxic metals, metals used in biological systems and the overlap of these categories; issues associated with the uptake, transport and storage of metal ions; and the benefits gained by using metals in biological molecules.
Biological and medical examples in intro chem at MIT
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I read about these new biology examples for intro chem in a recent Association for Women in Science (AWIS) Washington Wire (December 2009, Issue II). Professor Catherine Drennan from MIT and her colleagues introduced "examples of biological and medical topics that demonstrate chemistry principles into her introductory chemistry lectures to highlight the connection between the fields of biology and medicine, that students often love, and chemistry." Their assessment showed that the examples increased student satisfaction with the course.
Siderophore Building: In class Exercise
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This is an in-class exercise (brainstorming) designed to lead the student through the design of a siderophore (or "iron lover") by applying his knowledge of Lewis acid- base chemistry (specifically HSAB theory), geometry and entropy. This is a good start for a discussion of iron transport and storage in the bioinorganic section of Inorganic II (transition metals). I also use it in my junior level descriptive course when we discuss coordination chemistry.
Metals in Acid Base Chemistry
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This is a simple in class exercise to review acid- base equilibria and to lead the students to thinking about metals as both Lewis and Bronsted- Lowry acids. I use it as a discussion starter when I introduce the role of metals in biological acid/base chemistry in my upper division inorganic course, but it can be used at any level once acid-base equilibria has been covered.
Bioinorganic Chemistry- Metals in Purely Structural Roles
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This is a discussion leader to bring students into the topic of "Metals in Biochemistry- Structural Roles" by reminding them of pieces they already know from General Chemistry and other courses.
Bioinorganic Techniques in a Nutshell
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This website is from the Center for Metalloenzyme Studies at the University of Georgia. It contains brief summaries of common techniques used in bioinorganic chemistry. I really liked that for each technique lists what kind of information you can obtain, as well as what the limitations of the method are. It also provides examples of what kinds of questions can be answered with each technique. It does not provide in-depth information about how each method works, but rather simply lists the basic facts about each technique.
Energy Nuggets: Engineering Viruses to Build a Better Battery
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This literature discussion activity is one of a series of “Energy Nuggets,” small curricular units designed to illustrate: The Role of Inorganic Chemistry in the Global Challenge for Clean Energy Production, Storage, and Use.