[Bioinorganic chemistry and molecular biology]

The review of the contemporary state of bioinorganic chemistry is presented, illustrated by a series of examples. A short presentation of the chemistry of the complexes of transient metals is given, the importance of the distorsion isomerism is emphasized. The roles of the alkaline and alkaline-earth metals in biology is considered as also the role of Zn, Co, Mo, Cu. The function of iron is presented and the influence of magnetic fields on organisms is discussed. The mechanisms of action of carboxypeptidase A and of nitrogenase are considered. The general properties of metalloenzymes are discussed--the entatic state of the active site, the role of the distorsion isomerism and of the trans-effect as also the electronic-conformational interactions. The physical properties of the biometallic compounds are formulated. The importance of these compounds for medicine is illustrated by the Podymov's theory of lupus, by the cancerogenic role of metals and by the use of the platinum complexes in oncological therapy. The importance of biometallic compounds for enzymology and other branches of molecular biology is emphasized.