P.

RAM KUMAR ASST PROFESSOR CHEMISTRY UNAIDED

Discuss Role of Sodium and potassium in a biological system

Sodium –

 Sodium is the major component of extracellular fluids and mainly exists as a

chloride & bicarbonates
 To regulate acid base equilibrium
 Maintaining osmotic pressure of the body fluids and thereby protecting the body
fluid loss
 Preservation of normal irritability of muscle and permeability of the cell
 Many enzymatic reaction are controlled by Na+ ion.
 Injectable medicines are dissolved in NaCl before they are injected into human
body

Potassium

 Potassium is the major component of extracellular fluids as well as intracellular

fluids.
 It influences acid base equilibrium like sodium in extracellular fluids
 Control osmotic pressure and water retention
 Important for metabolic function like protein biosynthesis by ribosomes.
 Glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase require K+ for maximum activity

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P.RAM KUMAR ASST PROFESSOR CHEMISTRY UNAIDED

 Sodium and potassium are present in red blood cells

 The ratio of these ions in mammals such human beings, rabbits, rats and horses
is 1:7
 In cats and dogs this ratio is 15:1
 To establish this ratio also called concentration gradient

Discuss the Role of Magnesium and Calcium in a biological system

Magnesium

 Magnesium ions are present in chlorophyll which is the green colouring matter
present in plants Chlorophyll absorbs light from the sun and carries out the
process of photosynthesis in plants
 Magnesium ions are present in the enzyme phosphatase which act upon organic
phosphates to hydrolyse them into free phosphates
 Magnesium ions are present in the enzyme aminopeptidase which hydrolyses
polypeptides at the free amino acid end of the chain to form lower peptides and
sometimes free amino acids

Calcium

 Calcium ions are present as phosphates in the bones of human beings and
animals. These ions play an important role in muscle contraction. The
malnutrition in children is due to the deficiency of calcium
 About 99% of the body calcium is in the skeleton where it is maintained as
deposits of calcium phosphates in soft and fibrous matrix. A very small quantity
of calcium not present in skeletal structure, is in the body fluids where it is
partly ionized. This small amount of ionized calcium in the body fluid is of great
importance in blood coagulation, in maintaining the normal excitability of the
heart,muscles and nerves and in the differential aspects of membrane
permeability
 The major inorganic constituent of bone is comprised of a crystalline from of
calcium phosphate resembling the mineral hydroxyapatite. Additionally, the
bone contains a substantial amount of non-crystalline, amorphous calcium

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P.RAM KUMAR ASST PROFESSOR CHEMISTRY UNAIDED

phosphate It appears that the amorphous material is predominant is early life

but later on the crystalline form takes over in adult life

Points regarding Calcium and Magnesium

 Calcium ions are needed to bring about blood clotting and contract of muscles
such as heart beat
 Deficiency of Ca2+ ions causes tetany while excess of it causes Calcification
 Both Mg and ions are excreted via the large intestine instead of kidney Calcium
deficiency might occur due to its precipitation as calcium oxalate after reaction
with soluble oxalates present in the body
 Magnesium, which is essential to all organism is relatively present in greater
concentration in red cells than in plasma It is a constituent of chlorophyll which
plays an important role in photosynthesis.
 It has been observed that trans phosphorylation reactions involving ATP
(adenine Triphosphate) proceed smoothly in the presence of Mg2+ ions. ATP an
energy rich molecule which drives most of the cell reactions.
 Mg plays a vital role in these reaction. Free energy of conversion of ATP to ADP
(adenosine diphosphate) through hydrolysis is -31 kJmol-1.

Conversion of ATP to ADP

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P.RAM KUMAR ASST PROFESSOR CHEMISTRY UNAIDED

Siderophores [or] Siderochromes

 Siderophores are iron containing complexes which are found in most

microorganisms and transport Fe(III)
 Siderophores are also known as siderochromes because some of them are
intensely coloured.
 They have relatively low molar masses (500-1000).
 They are the chelating ligands and form chelates with Fe (III) ions.
 The complexes are high spin octahedral. These complexes are very stable but
are labile which allow the iron to be transported and transferred within the
bacteria.

Classification of Siderophores

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P.RAM KUMAR ASST PROFESSOR CHEMISTRY UNAIDED

Types of siderophores based on chemical nature

 According to Schalk and Guillon siderophore can be classified on the basis of

the chemical nature of their co-ordination sites with iron into three main classes
1. Hydroxamates
2. Catecholates (also known as Phenolates)
3. Carboxylates.
1. Hydroxamate siderophore
 Most common group of siderophore found in nature.
 Both fungi and bacteria can produce hydroxamate-type of siderophore
 Hydroxamate siderophore mostly contains C (=O) N-(OH) R [R = an amino acid].
 Two oxygen groups provided by each hydroxamate group form a bidentate ligand
with iron; therefore with Fe3+, each siderophore forms a hexadentate octahedral
complex.
 In the range of 1022 to 1032 M−1, the hydroxamate binds with ferric iron with a
binding constant.
 Hydroxamate siderophore, ferribactin secreted by Pseudomonas fluorescens
2. Catecholate (Phenolate) siderophore
 Some bacteria can only produce Catecholate type of siderophore.
 This type of siderophore contain Catecholate and a hydroxyl group,
 So Fe3+ binds with adjacent hydroxyls or Catecholate ends.
 For chelation with iron in order to form a hexadentate octahedral complex, each
Catecholate group supplies two oxygen atoms.
 For example, Klebsiella pneumoniae produces enterochelin which is a
Catecholate type of siderophore
3. Carboxylate siderophore
 Few bacteria like Rhizobium and Staphylococcus and fungi like Mucorales can
produce carboxylate type of siderophore
 Carboxyl and hydroxyl groups are present in this type of siderophore and bind
to iron through carboxyl and hydroxyl groups

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P.RAM KUMAR ASST PROFESSOR CHEMISTRY UNAIDED

 Staphyloferrin B isolated from Staphylococcus hyicus DSM 20459 under

reduced iron conditions, is a highly hydrophilic carboxylate-type siderophore
 Mxed type siderophores are produced by some microorganisms which contain
both catecholate and hydroxamate group. For example, heterobactin is
produced by Rhodococcus erythropolis
 Pseudomonas also produces a mixed catecholate-hydroxamate siderophore
4. Fungal siderophore
 There are extracellular and intracellular siderophores in fungi.
 They are responsible for transport or storage of ferric ion
 Generally fungi produce hydroxamate and carboxylate type of siderophores.
 Coprogen, ferricrocin and triacetyl fusarinine C, the principal siderophore is the
ester-containing siderophore linear fusigen are reported in Laccaria laccata and
Laccaria bicolor in small quantities.

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