CHEM320 - 01 - Inorganic Chemical Biology Metals in Life

This course provides the fundamentals of coordination chemistry to understand the roles of metal ions and their interactions with ligands in biological systems (e.g Mn catalyst for water oxidation in photosynthesis, Fe in oxygen transport and redox, Zn for DNA/RNA synthesis, among others). We will also explore metal deficiency and toxicity towards human health as well as the application of inorganic compounds as probes (e.g. MRI contrast agents, PET scan, radio isotopes for detection of tumor and sensing), catalysts (metals, metal oxides, MOFs,), and drugs/therapeutics (carboplatin for cancer treatment, chelation therapy for Alzheimers diseases, metal nanoparticles, antimalarial drugs etc).