Abstract
Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Kristin Bowman-James from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA. The cover image shows an overhead view of the highly phosphorylated biomolecule known as phytate, which resides in significant quantities in nuts and legumes, such as those accompanying the phytate.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1860 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry |
| Volume | 2019 |
| Issue number | 14 |
| DOIs |
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| State | Published - Apr 16 2019 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Phosphorus is the 11th most abundant element on earth, and it is vital to the sustenance of life. Yet this prevalent element is the subject of worldwide consternation due to dwindling of available phosphorus resources. As we are chemists targeting the supramolecular coordination chemistry of anions, phosphate and phosphate-containing species have been high on our radar screen. The significant occurrence of phytate in nuts, seeds, and beans, along with its prevalence in soils, makes it a perfect target. Amazingly, crystallographic reports of simple metal salts of this important anion are almost non-existent and consist of reports of a sodium salt (1971) and zinc salt (2017). The wide range of negative charges, enigmatic conformational changes, and scarcity of solid-state structural data have made the phytate challenge irresistible. Thanks to funding from the National Science Foundation, the phytate project was born, and we are now beginning to make inroads to its elusive structural chemistry.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Science Foundation |