Chelatable, or mobile, forms of zinc play critical signaling roles in numerous biological processes. Elucidating the action of mobile Zn(II) in complex biological environments requires sensitive tools for visualizing, tracking, and manipulating Zn(II) ions. A large toolbox of synthetic photoinduced electron transfer (PET)-based fluorescent Zn(II) sensors are available, but the applicability of ...

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. Several studies have suggested a disturbance in the copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) metabolism in ASDs. Zinc deficiency, excess Cu levels, and low Zn/Cu ratio are common in children diagnosed with an ASD. The literature also suggests that mercury accum...

Zinc deficiency in crop plants has been recognized as a worldwide nutritional constraint. A greenhouse experiment was conducted with the objective of developing a screening technique to evaluate lowland rice genotypes for zinc use efficiency. Ten lowland (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes were tested at low (0 mg Zn kg) and high (10 mg Zn kg) zinc levels applied to an Inceptisol. Genotypes differed si...

A glyoxysomal copper,zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) was purified to homogeneity, for the first time, from watermelon cotyledons (Citrullus vulgaris Schrad.). The stepwise purification procedure consisted of acetone precipitation, batch anion-exchange chromatography, anion-exchange Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography and gel-filtration column chromatography. Pure copper,zinc-s...

Zinc-enriched yeast (ZnY) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) are considered zinc (Zn) supplements currently available. The purpose of the investigation was to compare and evaluate pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of ZnY and ZnSO4 in rats. ZnY or ZnSO4 were orally administered to rats at a single dose of 4 mg Zn/kg and Zn levels in plasma and various tissues were determined using inductively coupled p...

Treatment of Zn(Si(SiMe3)3)2 with ZnX2 (X = Cl, Br, I) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 23 °C afforded [Zn(Si(SiMe3)3)X(THF)]2 in 83-99% yield. X-ray crystal structures revealed dimeric structures with Zn2X2 cores. Thermogravimetric analyses of [Zn(Si(SiMe3)3)X(THF)]2 demonstrated a loss of coordinated THF between 50 and 155 °C and then single-step weight losses between 200 and 275 °C. The nonvolati...

In this perspective some results from the work by the author's research group on the coordination chemistry of zinc are presented. They are selected so as to highlight the principles which, in the opinion of the author, make zinc unique in its ability to function as the catalytic center for an ever-increasing number of biological processes. In essence, the "non-properties" of zinc are the basis...

Zinc complexes constructed from the amino-modified benzotriazole phenol pro-ligand, 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-6-((diisopropylamino)methyl)-4-(2,4,4-trimethylpentan-2-yl)phenol ((C8DIA)BTP-H, 1), were synthesized stepwise and structurally characterized. The reaction of (C8DIA)BTP-H (1) with one equivalent of diethyl zinc (ZnEt2) generates a dimeric and four-coordinated zinc complex, [(μ-(C8DIA)BT...

To explore the displacement of Zn(2+) by Ni(2+) from within N-, S-, and O-chelate ligands, (N-(3-thiabutyl)-N'-(3-thiapentaneoate)-1,4-diazacycloheptane)zinc(II), Zn-1'-Ac, and 1,4-diazacycloheptane-1,4-diylbis(3-thiapentanoato) zinc(II), Zn-1'-Ac(2), were reacted with Ni(BF(4))(2) in a methanol solution and were found to yield, in both cases, the bright blue, hexa-coordinate Ni-1'-Ac(2) metal-...

Juvenile black sea bream, Acanthopagrus schlegelii, were exposed to waterborne zinc (Zn) at concentrations of 0, 200, and 400 μg/L, at temperatures of 18 or 26 °C for 4 weeks. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the liver and gill of A. schlegelii significantly increased following exposure to waterborne Zn. Significant reduction in glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in the liver and ...