Dr. LeRoy Peterson, Jr., Department of Chemistry and Physics, Francis Marion University, is supported under a Research Planning Grant for Minority Scientists and Engineers by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division for the study of zinc and cadmium complexes which model the action of these metals in biological systems. To this end a series of zinc and cadmium compounds utilizing poly(pyrazolyl)borate, nucleic acid, and carboxylate ligands will be prepared and characterized. The structures and properties of these complexes will be used to understand the interactions of the metals with complex biological molecules. Zinc plays important roles in a diverse series of enzymes and is involved in many biochemical processes including DNA replication, recognition, rewinding, and degradation. Chemically cadmium is closely related to zinc, but, in contrast to zinc, is quite toxic. The major goal of the research is to establish the important aspects of the chemistry of zinc and cadmium that govern their behavior in biological systems. A significant portion of this planning grant will involve the establishment of collaborative arrangements with nearby laboratories, which will allow Dr. Peterson and his students access to instrumentation not available at Francis Marion University.
