Free radicals in biology. Volume I

Book · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:5389971

Pryor, W A ^[1]

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1. ed.

Introductory treatments are given of some of the basic topics in free radical biology. Chapter 1 introduces a mechanistic view of free radical reactions using examples from biological systems. An insight into the fundamental organic chemistry of free radicals and their reactions is presented. Chapter 2 discusses one of the areas in which free radicals have been most often implicated, namely, autoxidative damage to lipids in membranes. The third chapter gives a brief and general overview of the uses of electron-spin resonance in biology. The chapter outlines the power and the utility of the ESR method. The next chapter treats spin labeling. This has developed into one of the most useful methods of probing the chemical and physical environment of molecules in cells.The fifth chapter deals with free radicals which occur in photosynthesis. Because the first step in photosynthesis is a one-electron transfer, this represents a clear case in which free radical biology plays an important role in those processes of interest to man. The last chapter covers one of the more interesting aspects of free radical biology. Professor Fridovich, who has provided much of the critical data on superoxide dismutase and has demonstrated its wide occurrence in nature, reviews the importance of this remarkable enzyme. One of the key conclusions from a study of superoxide dismutase is that the cell has developed special and very effective machinery to control and detoxify reactive one-electron species.

• OSTI ID: 5389971
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
550200* -- Biochemistry
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BIOLOGY
CELL CONSTITUENTS
CELL MEMBRANES
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE
ELECTRON TRANSFER
ENZYMES
LIPIDS
MAGNETIC RESONANCE
MEMBRANES
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
RADICALS
RESONANCE
REVIEWS
SUPEROXIDE RADICALS
SYNTHESIS