Biophysical Techniques in Structural Biology.

Over the past six decades, steadily increasing progress in the application of the principles and techniques of the physical sciences to the study of biological systems has led to remarkable insights into the molecular basis of life. Of particular significance has been the way in which the determination of the structures and dynamical properties of proteins and nucleic acids has so often led directly to a profound understanding of the nature and mechanism of their functional roles. The increasing number and power of experimental and theoretical techniques that can be applied successfully to living systems is now ushering in a new era of structural biology that is leading to fundamentally new information about the maintenance of health, the origins of disease, and the development of effective strategies for therapeutic intervention. This article provides a brief overview of some of the most powerful biophysical methods in use today, along with references that provide more detailed information about recent applications of each of them. In addition, this article acts as an introduction to four authoritative reviews in this volume. The first shows the ways that a multiplicity of biophysical methods can be combined with computational techniques to define the architectures of complex biological systems, such as those involving weak interactions within ensembles of molecular components. The second illustrates one aspect of this general approach by describing how recent advances in mass spectrometry, particularly in combination with other techniques, can generate fundamentally new insights into the properties of membrane proteins and their functional interactions with lipid molecules. The third reviewdemonstrates the increasing power of rapidly evolving diffraction techniques, employing the very short bursts of X-rays of extremely high intensity that are now accessible as a result of the construction of free-electron lasers, in particular to carry out time-resolved studies of biochemical reactions. The fourth describes in detail the application of such approaches to probe the mechanism of the light-induced changes associated with bacteriorhodopsin's ability to convert light energy into chemical energy.

De los primeros textos de análisis volumétricos / First texts of volumetric analysis

En este trabajo se pasa revista a los primeros textos publicados sobre análisis volumétrico aportando datos sobre la vida y obra de sus autores: Schwarz, Mohr, Poggiale, y Beckurts

This paper reviews the first published textbooks on volumetric analysis providing data on the life and work of their authors: Schwarz, Mohr, Poggiale and Beckurts

Maria Sklodowska-Curie, her life and work - the 150 anniversary of her birthday

Maria Sklodowska was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw (Poland). Her parents were teachers. Maria's mother has died in 1878 of tuberculosis. In 1893 and 1894, respectively, Maria was awarded master's degrees in physics and in mathematics from the Sorbonne University. In 1895 Maria married Pierre Curie. In 1897 their daughter Irene was born. Maria investigated rays emitted by uranium salts. She hypothesized that the radiation come from atom and called this phenomenon "radioactivity". In 1898, Maria and Pierre discovered new radioactive elements polonium and radium. In 1902 she isolated pure radium chloride and defined radium atomic mass. In June 1903, Maria supervised by Professor Lippmann was awarded her doctorate in physics from the Sorbonne University of Paris after presentation of the thesis "Investigation of radioactive bodies". In December 1903, Maria was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, along with her husband Pierre and Henri Becquerel, for their work on radioactivity. In 1904, the daughter Eve was born. On 19 April 1906, Pierre was killed in a road accident in Paris. In 1910 Maria isolated radium as a pure metal. She also defined an international standard for radioactive emissions (curie), published her fundamental results on radioactivity and textbook of radiology. She also defined the international pattern of radium. In 1911, she won her second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her discovery of radium and polonium. In 1914 she was appointed director in the Radium Institute in Paris. During World War I, Maria became the director of the Red Cross Radiology Service and set up France's first military radiology centre. In May 1932 she has attended the official opening ceremony of the Radium Institute in Warsaw. On 4 July 1934, Maria Sklodowska-Curie has died aged 66 years in Sancellemoz sanatorium (France) of aplastic anemia.

La aportación húngara a los métodos iodométricos, Karoly Than y Lajos Winkler, la determinación de oxígeno disuelto y el índice de iodo / The Hungarian contribution to iodometric methods, Karoly Than and Winkler Lajos, the determination of dissolved oxygen and the iodo index

Tras el trasfondo de los métodos iodométricos se procede a analizar la vida y la obra de dos grandes científicos húngaros, Than y Winkler, maestro y discípulo, responsables de la introducción de la química científica y de la educación farmacéutica en su país, que se movía en la órbita del imperio austro-húngaro, generando una escuela de excelencia en el ámbito académico. Than contribuye entre otros muchos descubrimientos a la utilización del bi-iodato potásico para la estandarización de tiosulfato de sodio. Winkler pone a punto un método iodométrico de determinación del oxígeno disuelto en aguas, un clásico de la química analítica, todavía en uso hoy día. El uso del dicromato de potasio por Zulkovsky abre la posibilidad a las aplicaciones analíticas de las oxidaciones con dicromato en iodometría. Las determinaciones de ioduro y bromuro y la del índice de yodo, entre otras, hace que la química analítica de los halógenos pueda considerarse una rama distintiva de la ciencia húngara. Schulek, discípulo de Winkler, abre las puertas al desarrollo del análisis y de la industria farmacéutica en Hungría (AU)

Under the background of the iodometric methods we analyze the life and work of two great Hungarian scientists, Than and Winkler, teacher and disciple. They were responsible for the introduction of scientific chemistry and pharmaceutical education in his country, which moved in the orbit of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Both generated a school of excellence in the academic field. Than contributes among many other discoveries to the use of potassium biiodate for the standardization of sodium thiosulfate and Winkler develops an iodometric method for the determination of dissolved oxygen in waters, a classic of chemical analysis, the use of which continues today. The use of potassium dichromate by Zulkovsky opened the possibility to the analytical applications of the oxidations with dichromate in iodometry. The iodide, bromide and iodine index determinations, make the analytical chemistry of halogens a distinctive branch of Hungarian science. Schulek, a disciple of Winkler, opens the door to the development of pharmaceutical analysis and the pharmaceutical industry in Hungary (AU)

Carl Remigius Fresenius: Padre de la Química Analítica / Carl Remigius Fresenius: Analytical Chemistry´s Father

En este trabajo se pasa revista a los aspectos de la vida y de la obra de Carl Remigius Fresenius, un eminente químico alemán del siglo XIX considerado como el padre de la Química Analítica. El trabajo se divide en varias secciones y hace hincapié: I) en la publicación de sus dos libros de texto sobre análisis cualitativo (1841) y cuantitativo (1845), que se convirtieron en un referente durante casi un siglo, en la sistemática de cationes conocida como marcha del sulfhídrico; II) en la fundación de un laboratorio en Wiesbaden (1848) destinado a la enseñanza de la química y a sus aplicaciones practicas, y; III) en la fundación de la primera revista analítica, el ‘Zeitschrift für analytischen Chemie’ (1861). Fresenius es considerado por la Federación Europea de Sociedades Químicas como uno de los cien químicos más eminentes de la historia (AU)

This paper reviews aspects of the life and work of Carl Remigius Fresenius, an eminent German chemist of the nineteenth century considered as the father of analytical chemistry. The manuscript is divided into several sections and emphasizes the publication of two textbooks on qualitative (1841) and quantitative (1845) analysis, which became a landmark for nearly a century, paying also attention to the systematic cation analysis known as ‘hydrogen sulphide scheme’, to the foundation of a laboratory in Wiesbaden (1848) for the teaching of chemistry and its practical applications, and in the founding of the first analytical journal, ‘Zeitschrift für analytische Chemie’ (1862). Fresenius is considered by the Federation of European Chemical Societies as one of the hundred most distinguished chemists of the history (AU)

[The origins of analysis and of drugs control]. / Les origines de l'analyse et du contrôle des médicaments.

Analytical concerns were quite ancient. As soon as the 12th century, Al-Chayzari searched drugs falsifications. During the 17th century, retort analysis was much practiced. Selective extraction constituted a great progress. During the 18th century, gas volumetric analysis appeared. Descroizilles created volumetric analysis in liquid phase, and that gave him the opportunity for creating acidi-alcalimetry methods. Following the works of Gay-Lussac and Thénard, Liebig invented an apparatus for performing elemental analysis of organic compounds. Michael Tswett created chromatography. Polarimetry was used for dosing glucose in human urines. Kirchhoff and Bunsen created spectroscopic analysis. All these methods allowed the great development of analysis during the 20th century.

Química, pedagogía y autoridad experta: el Tratado de Análisis Químico de José Casares Gil (1866-1961) y la construcción de una disciplina científica / Chemistry, pedagogy, and scientific authority: the Tratado de Análisis Químico by José Casares Gil (1866-1961), and the shaping of a scientific discipline

En este artículo se estudiará cómo José Casares utilizó sus libros de texto y su reconocimiento como experto para consolidar el análisis químico como disciplina en las universidades españolas. En primer lugar se mostrará el papel activo de Casares en la configuración de sus libros de texto. Gracias a sus publicaciones, algunos autores de libros de ciencias se convirtieron en voces autorizadas en su disciplina y las promocionaban en sus contextos locales. El estudio del tratado publicado por Casares muestra también los recursos utilizados por su autor para afirmar su disciplina ante públicos diversos. En segundo lugar se describe el origen y la evolución de su tratado, así como sus principales elementos configurativos. Finalmente, se examinan las estrategias utilizadas por Casares para construir una identidad disciplinar en torno a la química analítica en España (AU)

This article will explore how José Casares employed his textbooks and his recognition as expert to consolidate chemical analysis as a discipline in the Spanish universities. First, it will be shown the active role of Casares in the shaping of his textbooks. Thanks to their publications, textbook authors became trusted voices in their disciplines, promoting them in their local contexts. The study of the Casares’ treatise also shows the resources employed to establish his discipline among different publics. Secondly, the article will describe the origin and the evolution of his treatise, as well as its main shaping elements. Finally, the article will examine the strategies developed by Casares to construct a disciplinary identity for analytical chemistry in Spain (AU)

The life and work of Geoffrey Tyndale Young.

Geoffrey Tyndale Young was born in England's Peak District in 1915: his father and both grandfathers were pharmaceutical chemists. He graduated from the Universities of Birmingham and Bristol and was a transatlantic scientific liaison officer in the Second World War, shortly after which he was elected to a Fellowship at Jesus College Oxford. He combined peptide synthesis research, undergraduate teaching, and College administration with leadership in European peptide science and was universally respected for his integrity, wisdom, and unflappable diplomacy. A close friend of Josef Rudinger, he attended almost all of the first two dozen European Peptide Symposia 1958-1996. When he retired in 1982, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and was elected an Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, of which he had been Acting Principal 1973-1977. In retirement, he was instrumental in setting up this journal and steered the formation of the European Peptide Society, of which he was the first chairman. In 1950, he married Janet Mary Baker, later Baroness Young of Farnworth, Leader of the British House of Lords 1982-1983, who died in 2002: they had three daughters who survive him. He died at home in Oxford on 24 May 2014 aged 98.

A conflict of analysis: analytical chemistry and milk adulteration in Victorian Britain.

This article centres on a particularly intense debate within British analytical chemistry in the late nineteenth century, between local public analysts and the government chemists of the Inland Revenue Service. The two groups differed in both practical methodologies and in the interpretation of analytical findings. The most striking debates in this period were related to milk analysis, highlighted especially in Victorian courtrooms. It was in protracted court cases, such as the well known Manchester Milk Case in 1883, that analytical chemistry was performed between local public analysts and the government chemists, who were often both used as expert witnesses. Victorian courtrooms were thus important sites in the context of the uneven professionalisation of chemistry. I use this tension to highlight what Christopher Hamlin has called the defining feature of Victorian public health, namely conflicts of professional jurisdiction, which adds nuance to histories of the struggle of professionalisation and public credibility in analytical chemistry.

Molecular chirality: language, history, and significance.

In this chapter some background material concerning molecular chirality and enantiomerism is presented. First some basic chemical-molecular aspects of chirality are reviewed, after which certain relevant terminology whose use in the literature has been problematic is discussed. Then an overview is provided of some of the early discoveries that laid the foundations of the science of molecular chirality in chemistry and biology, including the discovery of the phenomenon of molecular chirality by L. Pasteur, the proposals for the asymmetric carbon atom by J.H. van 't Hoff and J.A. Lebel, Pasteur's discovery of biological enantioselectivity, the discovery of enantioselectivity at biological receptors by A. Piutti, the studies of enzymatic stereoselectivity by E. Fischer, and the work on enantioselectivity in pharmacology by A. Cushny. Finally, the role of molecular chirality in pharmacotherapy and new-drug development, arguably one of the main driving forces for the current intense interest in the phenomenon of molecular chirality, is discussed.

Reading Zolotov: a source of knowledge, inspiration and pleasure--thoughts and emotions on the eve of the 80th jubilee of Academician Yuri Aleksandrovich Zolotov.

Academician Yuri Aleksandrovich Zolotov is a world-wide recognized man in analytical science and chemical analysis. This paper is an appreciation by the author for the long term influence of Professor Zolotov scientific ideas and creative publications on his raising up as scientist during his early studies at Moscow State University and generally on his professional life. The article is a hybrid of personal tribute, historical reminiscence, and a brief tutorial mostly aimed at juniors in science. Paper is illustrated by several photographs and supplemented by references to several of most influencial books by Zolotov. Several Bulgarian analytical chemists share their impressions from Professor Zolotov personality and achievements in science.

Significant steps in the evolution of analytical chemistry--is the today's analytical chemistry only chemistry?

In this review the history of chemistry and specifically the history and the significant steps of the evolution of analytical chemistry are presented. In chronological time spans, covering the ancient world, the middle ages, the period of the 19th century, and the three evolutional periods, from the verge of the 19th century to contemporary times, it is given information for the progress of chemistry and analytical chemistry. During this period, analytical chemistry moved gradually from its pure empirical nature to more rational scientific activities, transforming itself to an autonomous branch of chemistry and a separate discipline. It is also shown that analytical chemistry moved gradually from the status of exclusive serving the chemical science, towards serving, the environment, health, law, almost all areas of science and technology, and the overall society. Some recommendations are also directed to analytical chemistry educators concerning the indispensable nature of knowledge of classical analytical chemistry and the associated laboratory exercises and to analysts, in general, why it is important to use the chemical knowledge to make measurements on problems of everyday life.