Bioorganometallic Chemistry has become a mature area of science and is comprehensively covered by leading experts in this book. Naturally occuring bioorganometallic complexes, such as vitamin B12 and recently discovered iron and nickel hydrogenases, including a possible role of the latter in the geochemical theory of the origin of life, are considered. The possible formation of carbene complexes of cytochrome P450 enzymes in various metabolisms of xenobiotics is also discussed. The bioorganometallic chemistry is considered to provide not only organometallic receptors such as polynuclear organometallic macrocycles for biologically interesting molecules but also ferrocene-peptide bioconjugates giving a peptidomimetic basis for protein folding. The medicinal properties of organometallic compounds are reviewed, with notable applications in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer and in the treatment of viral, fungal, bacterial and parasitic infections. Therefore the reader will get a balanced view of this rapidly developing and promising area.
From the reviews: "As far as chemistry monographs go, this book is a good read, and each of the six chapters conveys an excitement that is infectious. It has something for everyone, from the researcher active in bioorganometallic chemistry to those with an interest in this emerging field. ... The chapters are didactically written, providing plenty of material for an advanced undergraduate or graduate class ... . This is a useful book and I am confident that it will achieve what Simonneaux set out to do: to generate exitement about the field and draw new people into this young and rapidly expanding area of research" Heinz-Bernhard Kraatz JACS - Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2006, p. 222