Bioinorganika

Bioinorganika is the study of the role of metal ions and inorganic elements in living systems. It sits at the intersection of inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysics and investigates how metals participate in the structure, catalysis, signaling, and regulation of biomolecules. The field covers metal cofactors in enzymes (metalloenzymes), metal transport and storage, and the homeostasis and toxicity of metals.

Major topics include metalloenzymes and metalloproteins, metal binding sites and coordination chemistry, and redox processes mediated by metal centers. The field also uses inorganic-model systems to mimic biological catalysis. Representative examples include iron in hemoglobin and iron-sulfur clusters in ferredoxins, copper in cytochrome c oxidase and plastocyanin, zinc in carbonic anhydrase, manganese in photosystem II, nickel in urease, and cobalt in vitamin B12.

Methodologically, bioinorganic chemistry combines spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, Mössbauer and EPR techniques, and computational modeling to determine oxidation states, geometry, and reactivity of metal centers. The discipline overlaps with bioinspired catalysis, metallomics, and bioinorganic medicinal chemistry, including metal-based therapeutics and diagnostics.

Applications range from understanding essentiality and toxicity of metals in health and the environment to the development of metal-containing drugs, MRI contrast agents, and industrial catalysts inspired by biological systems.