Molecular Mechanisms of Oxygen Activation reviews some of the major advances that have been made in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying oxygen activation, with emphasis on the role of oxygen activation in contemporary biological processes. The biological role of oxygenases in the metabolism of fatty acids and steroids is discussed, along with the functions of heme-containing dioxygenases, a-ketoglutarate-coupled dioxygenases, and pterin-requiring aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. This book is comprised of 14 chapters and begins with an overview of the general properties and biological functions of oxygenases, along with the chemical aspects of oxygen fixation reactions. The reader is then introduced to research concerning fatty acid and steroid oxygenases which has appeared in the literature since 1962, paying particular attention to the mechanism of oxygenation and the biosynthesis and metabolism of steroids. Subsequent chapters explore the biological functions of a variety of oxygenases such as heme-containing dioxygenases, copper-containing oxygenases, flavoprotein oxygenases, and pterin-requiring aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. Superoxide dismutase, cytochrome c oxidase, peroxidase, and bacterial monoxygenases are also considered. This monograph should serve as a valuable reference for biochemists as well as undergraduate and graduate students of biochemistry.

This book is written for the research biochemist who needs to know more about the particular field of dioxygen metabolism, whether this be for designing lectures for a graduate level course or for his or her own research needs. We hope researchers in a given area of dioxygen metabolism will gain knowledge of related fields of dioxygen metabolism. We have decided to use the term dioxygen to distinguish molecular oxygen from divalent oxygen in water and organic compounds, dioxygen being a simpler term than molecular oxygen. We do not intend to review the metabolism of all compounds that contain oxygen, since this would include all of biochemistry. An understanding of dioxygen chemistry is essential to the discussion of the biochemistry of dioxygen. While this statement could be made about any biochemical constituent, the chemistry of dioxygen is so unusual that interpre tations without detailed chemical background are futile. Prediction of dioxygen reaction products by analogy with other oxidants is impossible. The partial reduction products of dioxygen, superoxide ion and peroxides, develop naturally in the chemistry of dioxygen. It would be difficult to discuss dioxygen biochemistry without first discussing these partial reduction products.

Aerobic organisms have evolved to utilise the intrinsic oxidising power of oxygen from the atmosphere. This so-called 'activation' of oxygen is often catalysed by a heme-containing enzyme. This book highlights the many and varied catalytic activities of O2-dependent heme–iron enzymes, including monoxygenases and cytochrome P450, dioxygenases, oxidases and model heme systems. Dioxygen-dependent Heme Enzymes will be a useful resource for postgraduate students and researchers in biochemistry and metallobiology working in, or moving into, research areas involving heme proteins.

The decade since the first Handbook on Hyperbaric Medicine has seen major advances: studies have clarified the actions of hyperbaric oxygenation; clinical practice is becoming more scientific; various organisational and operational guidelines are now widely accepted. This new Handbook arises from the EU Co-operation in Science and Technology (COST) programme for hyperbaric medicine, COST B14, in combination with the results of a number of recent experimental and clinical studies.

Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this book and its counterpart, Active Oxygen in Biochemistry, explore the active research area of the chemistry and biochemistry of oxygen. Complementary but independent, the two volumes integrate subject areas including medicine, biology, chemistry, engineering, and environmental studies.

This book is based on the papers presented at the "Fourth International Congress on Oxygen Radicals (4-ICOR)," held June 27 - July 3, 1987, at the University of California, La Jolla. The chapters deal with the phenomena associated with highly reactive oxygen species (hydroxy, peroxy, alkoxy, aroxy, and superoxide radicals, as well as singlet oxygen) and their peroxidation products (hydrogen peroxide, hydroperoxides, peroxides, and epoxides) as they relate to the fields of chemistry, food technology, nutrition, biology, pharmacology, and medicine. The kinetics, energetics, and mechanistic aspects of the reactions of these species and the interrelationship of oxygen radicals (or any other free radicals) and peroxidized products have been emphasized. Special attention is focused on the mechanisms of the generation of free radicals and peroxy products in biosystems and on the adverse effects of these radicals and products in humans. The topics span the continuum from the simple chemistry of model systems to the complex considerations of clinical medicine. The book also explores the mechanisms of agents that protect against free radicals and peroxy products in vitro and in vivo. These agents include antioxidants used in materials, food antioxidants, physiological antioxidants, and antioxienzymes (SOD, glutathione peroxidase, and catalases). The use of these inhibitors to prevent damage to organs being prepared for transplantation, thereby maintaining the quality of transplanted organs and/or extending their "shelf-life," also is examined.

Part A.: Overviews of biological inorganic chemistry : 1. Bioinorganic chemistry and the biogeochemical cycles -- 2. Metal ions and proteins: binding, stability, and folding -- 3. Special cofactors and metal clusters -- 4. Transport and storage of metal ions in biology -- 5. Biominerals and biomineralization -- 6. Metals in medicine. -- Part B.: Metal ion containing biological systems : 1. Metal ion transport and storage -- 2. Hydrolytic chemistry -- 3. Electron transfer, respiration, and photosynthesis -- 4. Oxygen metabolism -- 5. Hydrogen, carbon, and sulfur metabolism -- 6. Metalloenzymes with radical intermediates -- 7. Metal ion receptors and signaling. -- Cell biology, biochemistry, and evolution: Tutorial I. -- Fundamentals of coordination chemistry: Tutorial II.

The Chemistry and Biology of Nitroxyl (HNO) provides first-of-its-kind coverage of the intriguing biologically active molecule called nitroxyl, or azanone per IUPAC nomenclature, which has been traditionally elusive due to its intrinsically high reactivity. This useful resource provides the scientific basis to understand the chemistry, biology, and technical aspects needed to deal with HNO. Building on two decades of nitric oxide and nitroxyl research, the editors and authors have created an indispensable guide for investigators across a wide variety of areas of chemistry (inorganic, organic, organometallic, biochemistry, physical, and analytical); biology (molecular, cellular, physiological, and enzymology); pharmacy; and medicine. This book begins by exploring the unique molecule's structure and reactivity, including important reactions with small molecules, thiols, porphyrins, and key proteins, before discussing chemical and biological sources of nitroxyl. Advanced chapters discuss methods for both trapping and detecting nitroxyl by spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and fluorescent inorganic cellular probing. Expanding on the compound's foundational chemistry, this book then explores its molecular physiology to offer insight into its biological implications, pharmacological effects, and practical issues. - Presents the first book on HNO (nitroxyl or azanone), an increasingly important molecule in biochemistry and pharmaceutical research - Provides a valuable coverage of HNO's chemical structure and significant reactions, including practical guidance on working with this highly reactive molecule - Contains high quality content from recognized experts in both industry and academia

This book places oxygen on the center stage of chemistry in a manner that parallels the focus on carbon by 19th century chemists. One measure of the significance of oxygen chemistry is the greater diversity of oxygen-containing molecules than of carbon-containing molecules. One of the most important compounds is water, containing the properties of being a unique medium for biological chemistry and life, the source of all the dioxygen in the atmosphere, and the moderator of the earth's climate. Sawyer first introduces the biological origins of dioxygen and role of dioxygen in aerobic biology and oxidative metabolism, and in separate chapters discusses the oxidation-reduction thermodynamics of oxygen species, and the nature of the bonding for oxygen in its compounds. Additional chapters focus on the reactivities of specific oxygen compounds. The book will be of interest to chemists and biochemists, as well as graduate students, life scientists, and medical researchers.