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Related Concept Videos

Oligosaccharide Assembly01:24

Oligosaccharide Assembly

Protein glycosylation starts in the ER lumen and continues in the Golgi apparatus. Glycosyltransferases catalyze the addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins. Usually, these enzymes add sugars to the hydroxyl groups of selected serine or threonine residues to form O-linked glycans or the amino groups of asparagine residues to form N-linked glycans. Different positions on the same polypeptide chain can contain differently linked glycans.
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Formation of Complex Ions03:45

Formation of Complex Ions

A type of Lewis acid-base chemistry involves the formation of a complex ion (or a coordination complex) comprising a central atom, typically a transition metal cation, surrounded by ions or molecules called ligands. These ligands can be neutral molecules like H2O or NH3, or ions such as CN− or OH−. Often, the ligands act as Lewis bases, donating a pair of electrons to the central atom. These types of Lewis acid-base reactions are examples of a broad subdiscipline called coordination...
Metal-Ligand Bonds02:51

Metal-Ligand Bonds

The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
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Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes01:09

Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes

In complexation reactions, metal cations are the electron pair acceptors, and the ligands are the electron pair donors. The stability of the metal complexes depends primarily on the complexing ability of the central metal ion and the nature of the ligands. Generally, the complexing ability of the metal ion depends on the size and charge of the ion. As the metal ion size increases, the stability of the metal complexes decreases, provided that the valency of the metal ion and the ligands remain...
Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect01:19

Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

In complexation reactions, metal atoms or cations interact with ligands to form donor-acceptor adducts called metal complexes. Ligands that bind through one donor site are monodentate, ligands with two donor sites are bidentate, and those with more than two donor sites are polydentate ligands. For example, ethylene diamine is a bidentate ligand that binds through two nitrogen donor atoms, forming a five-membered ring. EDTA is a polydentate ligand that binds through four oxygen and two nitrogen...
Cofactors and Coenzymes01:27

Cofactors and Coenzymes

Enzymes require additional components for proper function. There are two such classes of molecules: cofactors and coenzymes. Cofactors are metallic ions and coenzymes are non-protein organic molecules. Both of these types of helper molecule can be tightly bound to the enzyme or bound only when the substrate binds.

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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

High-throughput Synthesis of Carbohydrates and Functionalization of Polyanhydride Nanoparticles
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Published on: July 6, 2012

Metal ions affect abiotic sugar oligomerization reactions.

Daniil Akulenko1, Rotem Edri1, Moran Frenkel-Pinter2,3,4

  • 1Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.

Communications Chemistry
|July 13, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Metal ions influenced sugar oligomerization during chemical evolution. Some ions altered the distribution of sugar oligomers, suggesting a co-evolution between metals and sugars in early life.

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Biochemical and Structural Characterization of the Carbohydrate Transport Substrate-binding-protein SP0092

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Area of Science:

  • Origins of Life Research
  • Prebiotic Chemistry
  • Biopolymer Formation

Background:

  • The origin of biopolymers is a key question in origins-of-life research.
  • Biochemistry's reliance on metals suggests an ancient link to chemical evolution.
  • While metal ion effects on peptide and nucleic acid polymerization are known, their impact on sugar oligomerization is unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of metal ions on the abiotic oligomerization of sugars.
  • To characterize the products of glucose oligomerization in the presence and absence of metal ions.

Main Methods:

  • Drying reactions of glucose were performed.
  • Experiments were conducted with and without various metal ions.
  • Products were analyzed using diverse analytical techniques.

Main Results:

  • Metal ions generally inhibited the overall conversion of glucose into oligomers.
  • Specific metal ions caused a metal-dependent shift in the distribution of sugar oligomers.
  • Results indicate a complex interaction between metal ions and sugar oligomerization.

Conclusions:

  • Metal ions play a role in sugar oligomerization, though often inhibitory.
  • The observed metal-specific effects suggest a potential co-evolution of metals and sugars.
  • Findings contribute to understanding the chemical evolution of essential prebiotic molecules.