Consolidated Zinc was an Australian mining company from 1905 to 1962.
106-593: The company's initial operations focused on extracting zinc from mine tailings of the Broken Hill Ore Deposit at Broken Hill, New South Wales , Australia. The company was founded in Melbourne on 9 September 1905 as the Zinc Corporation Limited , to exploit residual zinc concentrations with an estimated value of $ 12 million in the 6 million tons of mine tailings deposited from mining activities over
212-487: A catalytic triad , stabilize charge build-up on the transition states using an oxyanion hole , complete hydrolysis using an oriented water substrate. Enzymes are not rigid, static structures; instead they have complex internal dynamic motions – that is, movements of parts of the enzyme's structure such as individual amino acid residues, groups of residues forming a protein loop or unit of secondary structure , or even an entire protein domain . These motions give rise to
318-409: A condenser . Some alchemists called this zinc oxide lana philosophica , Latin for "philosopher's wool", because it collected in wooly tufts, whereas others thought it looked like white snow and named it nix album . The name of the metal was probably first documented by Paracelsus , a Swiss-born German alchemist, who referred to the metal as "zincum" or "zinken" in his book Liber Mineralium II , in
424-489: A conformational ensemble of slightly different structures that interconvert with one another at equilibrium . Different states within this ensemble may be associated with different aspects of an enzyme's function. For example, different conformations of the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase are associated with the substrate binding, catalysis, cofactor release, and product release steps of the catalytic cycle, consistent with catalytic resonance theory . Substrate presentation
530-428: A gamma ray . Zn has three excited metastable states and Zn has two. The isotopes Zn , Zn , Zn and Zn each have only one excited metastable state. The most common decay mode of a radioisotope of zinc with a mass number lower than 66 is electron capture . The decay product resulting from electron capture is an isotope of copper. The most common decay mode of
636-514: A by-product of smelting sulfide ores. Zinc in such remnants in smelting ovens was usually discarded as it was thought to be worthless. The manufacture of brass was known to the Romans by about 30 BC. They made brass by heating powdered calamine (zinc silicate or carbonate), charcoal and copper together in a crucible. The resulting calamine brass was then either cast or hammered into shape for use in weaponry. Some coins struck by Romans in
742-547: A deficit of zinc can compromise the vitality of primary algal communities, potentially destabilizing the intricate marine trophic structures and consequently impacting biodiversity. Brass , an alloy of copper and zinc in various proportions, was used as early as the third millennium BC in the Aegean area and the region which currently includes Iraq , the United Arab Emirates , Kalmykia , Turkmenistan and Georgia . In
848-474: A first step and then checks that the product is correct in a second step. This two-step process results in average error rates of less than 1 error in 100 million reactions in high-fidelity mammalian polymerases. Similar proofreading mechanisms are also found in RNA polymerase , aminoacyl tRNA synthetases and ribosomes . Conversely, some enzymes display enzyme promiscuity , having broad specificity and acting on
954-400: A half-life of 243.66 days, is the least active radioisotope, followed by Zn with a half-life of 46.5 hours. Zinc has 10 nuclear isomers , of which Zn has the longest half-life, 13.76 h. The superscript m indicates a metastable isotope. The nucleus of a metastable isotope is in an excited state and will return to the ground state by emitting a photon in the form of
1060-506: A metal which, when oxidized, produces pushpanjan , thought to be zinc oxide. Zinc mines at Zawar, near Udaipur in India, have been active since the Mauryan period ( c. 322 and 187 BCE). The smelting of metallic zinc here, however, appears to have begun around the 12th century AD. One estimate is that this location produced an estimated million tonnes of metallic zinc and zinc oxide from
1166-417: A metal–carbon sigma bond . Cobalticyanide paper (Rinnmann's test for Zn) can be used as a chemical indicator for zinc. 4 g of K 3 Co(CN) 6 and 1 g of KClO 3 is dissolved on 100 ml of water. Paper is dipped in the solution and dried at 100 °C. One drop of the sample is dropped onto the dry paper and heated. A green disc indicates the presence of zinc. Various isolated examples of
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#17328581922761272-505: A process in 1758 for calcining zinc sulfide into an oxide usable in the retort process. Prior to this, only calamine could be used to produce zinc. In 1798, Johann Christian Ruberg improved on the smelting process by building the first horizontal retort smelter. Jean-Jacques Daniel Dony built a different kind of horizontal zinc smelter in Belgium that processed even more zinc. Italian doctor Luigi Galvani discovered in 1780 that connecting
1378-464: A quantitative theory of enzyme kinetics, which is referred to as Michaelis–Menten kinetics . The major contribution of Michaelis and Menten was to think of enzyme reactions in two stages. In the first, the substrate binds reversibly to the enzyme, forming the enzyme-substrate complex. This is sometimes called the Michaelis–Menten complex in their honor. The enzyme then catalyzes the chemical step in
1484-582: A quantity of what he called "calay" (from the Malay or Hindi word for tin) originating from Malabar off a cargo ship captured from the Portuguese in the year 1596. Libavius described the properties of the sample, which may have been zinc. Zinc was regularly imported to Europe from the Orient in the 17th and early 18th centuries, but was at times very expensive. Metallic zinc was isolated in India by 1300 AD. Before it
1590-401: A radioisotope of zinc with mass number higher than 66 is beta decay (β ), which produces an isotope of gallium . Zinc has an electron configuration of [Ar]3d 4s and is a member of the group 12 of the periodic table . It is a moderately reactive metal and strong reducing agent . The surface of the pure metal tarnishes quickly, eventually forming a protective passivating layer of
1696-439: A range of different physiologically relevant substrates. Many enzymes possess small side activities which arose fortuitously (i.e. neutrally ), which may be the starting point for the evolutionary selection of a new function. To explain the observed specificity of enzymes, in 1894 Emil Fischer proposed that both the enzyme and the substrate possess specific complementary geometric shapes that fit exactly into one another. This
1802-451: A species' normal level; as a result, enzymes from bacteria living in volcanic environments such as hot springs are prized by industrial users for their ability to function at high temperatures, allowing enzyme-catalysed reactions to be operated at a very high rate. Enzymes are usually much larger than their substrates. Sizes range from just 62 amino acid residues, for the monomer of 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase , to over 2,500 residues in
1908-446: A steady level inside the cell. For example, NADPH is regenerated through the pentose phosphate pathway and S -adenosylmethionine by methionine adenosyltransferase . This continuous regeneration means that small amounts of coenzymes can be used very intensively. For example, the human body turns over its own weight in ATP each day. As with all catalysts, enzymes do not alter the position of
2014-442: A thermodynamically unfavourable one so that the combined energy of the products is lower than the substrates. For example, the hydrolysis of ATP is often used to drive other chemical reactions. Enzyme kinetics is the investigation of how enzymes bind substrates and turn them into products. The rate data used in kinetic analyses are commonly obtained from enzyme assays . In 1913 Leonor Michaelis and Maud Leonora Menten proposed
2120-457: Is k cat , also called the turnover number , which is the number of substrate molecules handled by one active site per second. The efficiency of an enzyme can be expressed in terms of k cat / K m . This is also called the specificity constant and incorporates the rate constants for all steps in the reaction up to and including the first irreversible step. Because the specificity constant reflects both affinity and catalytic ability, it
2226-838: Is orotidine 5'-phosphate decarboxylase , which allows a reaction that would otherwise take millions of years to occur in milliseconds. Chemically, enzymes are like any catalyst and are not consumed in chemical reactions, nor do they alter the equilibrium of a reaction. Enzymes differ from most other catalysts by being much more specific. Enzyme activity can be affected by other molecules: inhibitors are molecules that decrease enzyme activity, and activators are molecules that increase activity. Many therapeutic drugs and poisons are enzyme inhibitors. An enzyme's activity decreases markedly outside its optimal temperature and pH , and many enzymes are (permanently) denatured when exposed to excessive heat, losing their structure and catalytic properties. Some enzymes are used commercially, for example, in
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#17328581922762332-403: Is a chalcophile , meaning the element is more likely to be found in minerals together with sulfur and other heavy chalcogens , rather than with the light chalcogen oxygen or with non-chalcogen electronegative elements such as the halogens . Sulfides formed as the crust solidified under the reducing conditions of the early Earth's atmosphere. Sphalerite , which is a form of zinc sulfide,
2438-458: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic table . In some respects, zinc is chemically similar to magnesium : both elements exhibit only one normal oxidation state (+2), and
2544-421: Is a process where the enzyme is sequestered away from its substrate. Enzymes can be sequestered to the plasma membrane away from a substrate in the nucleus or cytosol. Or within the membrane, an enzyme can be sequestered into lipid rafts away from its substrate in the disordered region. When the enzyme is released it mixes with its substrate. Alternatively, the enzyme can be sequestered near its substrate to activate
2650-444: Is an essential trace element for humans, animals, plants and for microorganisms and is necessary for prenatal and postnatal development. It is the second most abundant trace metal in humans after iron and it is the only metal which appears in all enzyme classes . Zinc is also an essential nutrient element for coral growth as it is an important cofactor for many enzymes. Zinc deficiency affects about two billion people in
2756-534: Is being smelted. In Britain, John Lane is said to have carried out experiments to smelt zinc, probably at Landore , prior to his bankruptcy in 1726. In 1738 in Great Britain, William Champion patented a process to extract zinc from calamine in a vertical retort -style smelter. His technique resembled that used at Zawar zinc mines in Rajasthan , but no evidence suggests he visited the Orient. Champion's process
2862-437: Is described by "EC" followed by a sequence of four numbers which represent the hierarchy of enzymatic activity (from very general to very specific). That is, the first number broadly classifies the enzyme based on its mechanism while the other digits add more and more specificity. The top-level classification is: These sections are subdivided by other features such as the substrate, products, and chemical mechanism . An enzyme
2968-749: Is fully specified by four numerical designations. For example, hexokinase (EC 2.7.1.1) is a transferase (EC 2) that adds a phosphate group (EC 2.7) to a hexose sugar, a molecule containing an alcohol group (EC 2.7.1). Sequence similarity . EC categories do not reflect sequence similarity. For instance, two ligases of the same EC number that catalyze exactly the same reaction can have completely different sequences. Independent of their function, enzymes, like any other proteins, have been classified by their sequence similarity into numerous families. These families have been documented in dozens of different protein and protein family databases such as Pfam . Non-homologous isofunctional enzymes . Unrelated enzymes that have
3074-527: Is hard and brittle at most temperatures but becomes malleable between 100 and 150 °C. Above 210 °C, the metal becomes brittle again and can be pulverized by beating. Zinc is a fair conductor of electricity . For a metal, zinc has relatively low melting (419.5 °C) and boiling point (907 °C). The melting point is the lowest of all the d-block metals aside from mercury and cadmium ; for this reason among others, zinc, cadmium, and mercury are often not considered to be transition metals like
3180-464: Is implicated by the formation of a yellow diamagnetic glass by dissolving metallic zinc in molten ZnCl 2 . The [Zn 2 ] core would be analogous to the [Hg 2 ] cation present in mercury (I) compounds. The diamagnetic nature of the ion confirms its dimeric structure. The first zinc(I) compound containing the Zn–Zn bond, (η -C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Zn 2 . Binary compounds of zinc are known for most of
3286-410: Is known as Special High Grade, often abbreviated SHG , and is 99.995% pure. Worldwide, 95% of new zinc is mined from sulfidic ore deposits, in which sphalerite (ZnS) is nearly always mixed with the sulfides of copper, lead and iron. Zinc mines are scattered throughout the world, with the main areas being China, Australia, and Peru. China produced 38% of the global zinc output in 2014. Zinc metal
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3392-511: Is necessary for the leaching process. If deposits of zinc carbonate , zinc silicate , or zinc-spinel (like the Skorpion Deposit in Namibia ) are used for zinc production, the roasting can be omitted. For further processing two basic methods are used: pyrometallurgy or electrowinning . Pyrometallurgy reduces zinc oxide with carbon or carbon monoxide at 950 °C (1,740 °F) into
3498-473: Is often derived from its substrate or the chemical reaction it catalyzes, with the word ending in -ase . Examples are lactase , alcohol dehydrogenase and DNA polymerase . Different enzymes that catalyze the same chemical reaction are called isozymes . The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology have developed a nomenclature for enzymes, the EC numbers (for "Enzyme Commission") . Each enzyme
3604-418: Is often referred to as "the lock and key" model. This early model explains enzyme specificity, but fails to explain the stabilization of the transition state that enzymes achieve. In 1958, Daniel Koshland suggested a modification to the lock and key model: since enzymes are rather flexible structures, the active site is continuously reshaped by interactions with the substrate as the substrate interacts with
3710-462: Is only one of several important kinetic parameters. The amount of substrate needed to achieve a given rate of reaction is also important. This is given by the Michaelis–Menten constant ( K m ), which is the substrate concentration required for an enzyme to reach one-half its maximum reaction rate; generally, each enzyme has a characteristic K M for a given substrate. Another useful constant
3816-437: Is produced using extractive metallurgy . The ore is finely ground, then put through froth flotation to separate minerals from gangue (on the property of hydrophobicity ), to get a zinc sulfide ore concentrate consisting of about 50% zinc, 32% sulfur, 13% iron, and 5% SiO 2 . Roasting converts the zinc sulfide concentrate to zinc oxide: The sulfur dioxide is used for the production of sulfuric acid, which
3922-404: Is seen. This is shown in the saturation curve on the right. Saturation happens because, as substrate concentration increases, more and more of the free enzyme is converted into the substrate-bound ES complex. At the maximum reaction rate ( V max ) of the enzyme, all the enzyme active sites are bound to substrate, and the amount of ES complex is the same as the total amount of enzyme. V max
4028-403: Is the ribosome which is a complex of protein and catalytic RNA components. Enzymes must bind their substrates before they can catalyse any chemical reaction. Enzymes are usually very specific as to what substrates they bind and then the chemical reaction catalysed. Specificity is achieved by binding pockets with complementary shape, charge and hydrophilic / hydrophobic characteristics to
4134-584: Is the most heavily mined zinc-containing ore because its concentrate contains 60–62% zinc. Other source minerals for zinc include smithsonite (zinc carbonate ), hemimorphite (zinc silicate ), wurtzite (another zinc sulfide), and sometimes hydrozincite (basic zinc carbonate ). With the exception of wurtzite, all these other minerals were formed by weathering of the primordial zinc sulfides. Identified world zinc resources total about 1.9–2.8 billion tonnes . Large deposits are in Australia, Canada and
4240-790: Is useful for comparing different enzymes against each other, or the same enzyme with different substrates. The theoretical maximum for the specificity constant is called the diffusion limit and is about 10 to 10 (M s ). At this point every collision of the enzyme with its substrate will result in catalysis, and the rate of product formation is not limited by the reaction rate but by the diffusion rate. Enzymes with this property are called catalytically perfect or kinetically perfect . Example of such enzymes are triose-phosphate isomerase , carbonic anhydrase , acetylcholinesterase , catalase , fumarase , β-lactamase , and superoxide dismutase . The turnover of such enzymes can reach several million reactions per second. But most enzymes are far from perfect:
4346-611: The DNA polymerases ; here the holoenzyme is the complete complex containing all the subunits needed for activity. Coenzymes are small organic molecules that can be loosely or tightly bound to an enzyme. Coenzymes transport chemical groups from one enzyme to another. Examples include NADH , NADPH and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Some coenzymes, such as flavin mononucleotide (FMN), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), and tetrahydrofolate (THF), are derived from vitamins . These coenzymes cannot be synthesized by
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4452-511: The law of mass action , which is derived from the assumptions of free diffusion and thermodynamically driven random collision. Many biochemical or cellular processes deviate significantly from these conditions, because of macromolecular crowding and constrained molecular movement. More recent, complex extensions of the model attempt to correct for these effects. Enzyme reaction rates can be decreased by various types of enzyme inhibitors. A competitive inhibitor and substrate cannot bind to
4558-469: The metalloids and all the nonmetals except the noble gases . The oxide ZnO is a white powder that is nearly insoluble in neutral aqueous solutions, but is amphoteric , dissolving in both strong basic and acidic solutions. The other chalcogenides ( ZnS , ZnSe , and ZnTe ) have varied applications in electronics and optics. Pnictogenides ( Zn 3 N 2 , Zn 3 P 2 , Zn 3 As 2 and Zn 3 Sb 2 ),
4664-518: The spinal cord of a freshly dissected frog to an iron rail attached by a brass hook caused the frog's leg to twitch. He incorrectly thought he had discovered an ability of nerves and muscles to create electricity and called the effect " animal electricity ". The galvanic cell and the process of galvanization were both named for Luigi Galvani, and his discoveries paved the way for electrical batteries , galvanization, and cathodic protection . Galvani's friend, Alessandro Volta , continued researching
4770-403: The 12th to 16th centuries. Another estimate gives a total production of 60,000 tonnes of metallic zinc over this period. The Rasaratna Samuccaya , written in approximately the 13th century AD, mentions two types of zinc-containing ores: one used for metal extraction and another used for medicinal purposes. Zinc was distinctly recognized as a metal under the designation of Yasada or Jasada in
4876-610: The 16th century. The word is probably derived from the German zinke , and supposedly meant "tooth-like, pointed or jagged" (metallic zinc crystals have a needle-like appearance). Zink could also imply "tin-like" because of its relation to German zinn meaning tin. Yet another possibility is that the word is derived from the Persian word سنگ seng meaning stone. The metal was also called Indian tin , tutanego , calamine , and spinter . German metallurgist Andreas Libavius received
4982-422: The 24th most abundant element. It also makes up 312 ppm of the solar system, where it is the 22nd most abundant element. Typical background concentrations of zinc do not exceed 1 μg/m in the atmosphere; 300 mg/kg in soil; 100 mg/kg in vegetation; 20 μg/L in freshwater and 5 μg/L in seawater. The element is normally found in association with other base metals such as copper and lead in ores . Zinc
5088-443: The 9th century AD when a distillation process was employed to make pure zinc. Alchemists burned zinc in air to form what they called " philosopher's wool " or "white snow". The element was probably named by the alchemist Paracelsus after the German word Zinke (prong, tooth). German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf is credited with discovering pure metallic zinc in 1746. Work by Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta uncovered
5194-561: The Christian era are made of what is probably calamine brass. The oldest known pills were made of the zinc carbonates hydrozincite and smithsonite. The pills were used for sore eyes and were found aboard the Roman ship Relitto del Pozzino , wrecked in 140 BC. The Berne zinc tablet is a votive plaque dating to Roman Gaul made of an alloy that is mostly zinc. The Charaka Samhita , thought to have been written between 300 and 500 AD, mentions
5300-530: The United States, with the largest reserves in Iran . The most recent estimate of reserve base for zinc (meets specified minimum physical criteria related to current mining and production practices) was made in 2009 and calculated to be roughly 480 Mt. Zinc reserves, on the other hand, are geologically identified ore bodies whose suitability for recovery is economically based (location, grade, quality, and quantity) at
5406-518: The Zn and Mg ions are of similar size. Zinc is the 24th most abundant element in Earth's crust and has five stable isotopes . The most common zinc ore is sphalerite (zinc blende), a zinc sulfide mineral. The largest workable lodes are in Australia, Asia, and the United States. Zinc is refined by froth flotation of the ore, roasting , and final extraction using electricity ( electrowinning ). Zinc
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#17328581922765512-400: The ability to carry out biological catalysis, which is often reflected in their amino acid sequences and unusual 'pseudocatalytic' properties. Enzymes are known to catalyze more than 5,000 biochemical reaction types. Other biocatalysts are catalytic RNA molecules , also called ribozymes . They are sometimes described as a type of enzyme rather than being like an enzyme, but even in
5618-437: The active site and are involved in catalysis. For example, flavin and heme cofactors are often involved in redox reactions. Enzymes that require a cofactor but do not have one bound are called apoenzymes or apoproteins . An enzyme together with the cofactor(s) required for activity is called a holoenzyme (or haloenzyme). The term holoenzyme can also be applied to enzymes that contain multiple protein subunits, such as
5724-502: The active site. Organic cofactors can be either coenzymes , which are released from the enzyme's active site during the reaction, or prosthetic groups , which are tightly bound to an enzyme. Organic prosthetic groups can be covalently bound (e.g., biotin in enzymes such as pyruvate carboxylase ). An example of an enzyme that contains a cofactor is carbonic anhydrase , which uses a zinc cofactor bound as part of its active site. These tightly bound ions or molecules are usually found in
5830-407: The animal fatty acid synthase . Only a small portion of their structure (around 2–4 amino acids) is directly involved in catalysis: the catalytic site. This catalytic site is located next to one or more binding sites where residues orient the substrates. The catalytic site and binding site together compose the enzyme's active site . The remaining majority of the enzyme structure serves to maintain
5936-578: The average values of k c a t / K m {\displaystyle k_{\rm {cat}}/K_{\rm {m}}} and k c a t {\displaystyle k_{\rm {cat}}} are about 10 5 s − 1 M − 1 {\displaystyle 10^{5}{\rm {s}}^{-1}{\rm {M}}^{-1}} and 10 s − 1 {\displaystyle 10{\rm {s}}^{-1}} , respectively. Michaelis–Menten kinetics relies on
6042-419: The basic zinc carbonate , Zn 5 (OH) 6 (CO 3 ) 2 , by reaction with atmospheric carbon dioxide . Zinc burns in air with a bright bluish-green flame, giving off fumes of zinc oxide . Zinc reacts readily with acids , alkalis and other non-metals. Extremely pure zinc reacts only slowly at room temperature with acids. Strong acids, such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid , can remove
6148-502: The body de novo and closely related compounds (vitamins) must be acquired from the diet. The chemical groups carried include: Since coenzymes are chemically changed as a consequence of enzyme action, it is useful to consider coenzymes to be a special class of substrates, or second substrates, which are common to many different enzymes. For example, about 1000 enzymes are known to use the coenzyme NADH. Coenzymes are usually continuously regenerated and their concentrations maintained at
6254-471: The chemical equilibrium of the reaction. In the presence of an enzyme, the reaction runs in the same direction as it would without the enzyme, just more quickly. For example, carbonic anhydrase catalyzes its reaction in either direction depending on the concentration of its reactants: The rate of a reaction is dependent on the activation energy needed to form the transition state which then decays into products. Enzymes increase reaction rates by lowering
6360-420: The chromate ZnCrO 4 (one of the few colored zinc compounds) are a few examples of other common inorganic compounds of zinc. Organozinc compounds are those that contain zinc– carbon covalent bonds. Diethylzinc ( (C 2 H 5 ) 2 Zn ) is a reagent in synthetic chemistry. It was first reported in 1848 from the reaction of zinc and ethyl iodide , and was the first compound known to contain
6466-641: The company built up substantial financial resources but failed to develop suitable new mining projects. This led to a merger in 1962 with the Rio Tinto Company, a company who found itself in a complementary position of having substantial development opportunities but not enough financial resources with which to pursue them. The resulting company, known as The Rio Tinto – Zinc Corporation (RTZ), and its main subsidiary, Conzinc Riotinto of Australia (CRA), would eventually become today's Rio Tinto Group . This article about an Australian corporation or company
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#17328581922766572-425: The conversion of starch to sugars by plant extracts and saliva were known but the mechanisms by which these occurred had not been identified. French chemist Anselme Payen was the first to discover an enzyme, diastase , in 1833. A few decades later, when studying the fermentation of sugar to alcohol by yeast , Louis Pasteur concluded that this fermentation was caused by a vital force contained within
6678-444: The decades since ribozymes' discovery in 1980–1982, the word enzyme alone often means the protein type specifically (as is used in this article). An enzyme's specificity comes from its unique three-dimensional structure . Like all catalysts, enzymes increase the reaction rate by lowering its activation energy . Some enzymes can make their conversion of substrate to product occur many millions of times faster. An extreme example
6784-440: The developing world and is associated with many diseases. In children, deficiency causes growth retardation, delayed sexual maturation, infection susceptibility, and diarrhea . Enzymes with a zinc atom in the reactive center are widespread in biochemistry, such as alcohol dehydrogenase in humans. Consumption of excess zinc may cause ataxia , lethargy , and copper deficiency . In marine biomes, notably within polar regions,
6890-555: The effect and invented the Voltaic pile in 1800. Volta's pile consisted of a stack of simplified galvanic cells , each being one plate of copper and one of zinc connected by an electrolyte . By stacking these units in series, the Voltaic pile (or "battery") as a whole had a higher voltage, which could be used more easily than single cells. Electricity is produced because the Volta potential between
6996-533: The electrochemical properties of zinc by 1800. Corrosion -resistant zinc plating of iron ( hot-dip galvanizing ) is the major application for zinc. Other applications are in electrical batteries , small non-structural castings, and alloys such as brass. A variety of zinc compounds are commonly used, such as zinc carbonate and zinc gluconate (as dietary supplements), zinc chloride (in deodorants), zinc pyrithione (anti- dandruff shampoos), zinc sulfide (in luminescent paints), and dimethylzinc or diethylzinc in
7102-433: The energy of the transition state. First, binding forms a low energy enzyme-substrate complex (ES). Second, the enzyme stabilises the transition state such that it requires less energy to achieve compared to the uncatalyzed reaction (ES ). Finally the enzyme-product complex (EP) dissociates to release the products. Enzymes can couple two or more reactions, so that a thermodynamically favorable reaction can be used to "drive"
7208-587: The enzyme urease was a pure protein and crystallized it; he did likewise for the enzyme catalase in 1937. The conclusion that pure proteins can be enzymes was definitively demonstrated by John Howard Northrop and Wendell Meredith Stanley , who worked on the digestive enzymes pepsin (1930), trypsin and chymotrypsin . These three scientists were awarded the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The discovery that enzymes could be crystallized eventually allowed their structures to be solved by x-ray crystallography . This
7314-483: The enzyme at the same time. Often competitive inhibitors strongly resemble the real substrate of the enzyme. For example, the drug methotrexate is a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase , which catalyzes the reduction of dihydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate. The similarity between the structures of dihydrofolate and this drug are shown in the accompanying figure. This type of inhibition can be overcome with high substrate concentration. In some cases,
7420-422: The enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products . Almost all metabolic processes in the cell need enzyme catalysis in order to occur at rates fast enough to sustain life. Metabolic pathways depend upon enzymes to catalyze individual steps. The study of enzymes is called enzymology and the field of pseudoenzyme analysis recognizes that during evolution, some enzymes have lost
7526-403: The enzyme. As a result, the substrate does not simply bind to a rigid active site; the amino acid side-chains that make up the active site are molded into the precise positions that enable the enzyme to perform its catalytic function. In some cases, such as glycosidases , the substrate molecule also changes shape slightly as it enters the active site. The active site continues to change until
7632-427: The enzyme. For example, the enzyme can be soluble and upon activation bind to a lipid in the plasma membrane and then act upon molecules in the plasma membrane. Allosteric sites are pockets on the enzyme, distinct from the active site, that bind to molecules in the cellular environment. These molecules then cause a change in the conformation or dynamics of the enzyme that is transduced to the active site and thus affects
7738-439: The formation of Zn 2 Cl 2 , a zinc compound with a +1 oxidation state. No compounds of zinc in positive oxidation states other than +1 or +2 are known. Calculations indicate that a zinc compound with the oxidation state of +4 is unlikely to exist. Zn(III) is predicted to exist in the presence of strongly electronegative trianions; however, there exists some doubt around this possibility. But in 2021 another compound
7844-461: The hydroxide Zn(OH) 2 forms as a white precipitate . In stronger alkaline solutions, this hydroxide is dissolved to form zincates ( [Zn(OH) 4 ] ). The nitrate Zn(NO 3 ) 2 , chlorate Zn(ClO 3 ) 2 , sulfate ZnSO 4 , phosphate Zn 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , molybdate ZnMoO 4 , cyanide Zn(CN) 2 , arsenite Zn(AsO 2 ) 2 , arsenate Zn(AsO 4 ) 2 ·8H 2 O and
7950-455: The medical Lexicon ascribed to the Hindu king Madanapala (of Taka dynasty) and written about the year 1374. Smelting and extraction of impure zinc by reducing calamine with wool and other organic substances was accomplished in the 13th century in India. The Chinese did not learn of the technique until the 17th century. Alchemists burned zinc metal in air and collected the resulting zinc oxide on
8056-586: The metal, which is distilled as zinc vapor to separate it from other metals, which are not volatile at those temperatures. The zinc vapor is collected in a condenser. The equations below describe this process: In electrowinning , zinc is leached from the ore concentrate by sulfuric acid and impurities are precipitated: Enzyme#Classification and nomenclature Enzymes ( / ˈ ɛ n z aɪ m z / ) are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions . The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates , and
8162-468: The mixture. He named the enzyme that brought about the fermentation of sucrose " zymase ". In 1907, he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "his discovery of cell-free fermentation". Following Buchner's example, enzymes are usually named according to the reaction they carry out: the suffix -ase is combined with the name of the substrate (e.g., lactase is the enzyme that cleaves lactose ) or to
8268-420: The organic laboratory. Zinc is a bluish-white, lustrous, diamagnetic metal, though most common commercial grades of the metal have a dull finish. It is somewhat less dense than iron and has a hexagonal crystal structure , with a distorted form of hexagonal close packing , in which each atom has six nearest neighbors (at 265.9 pm) in its own plane and six others at a greater distance of 290.6 pm. The metal
8374-525: The passivating layer and the subsequent reaction with the acid releases hydrogen gas. The chemistry of zinc is dominated by the +2 oxidation state. When compounds in this oxidation state are formed, the outer shell s electrons are lost, yielding a bare zinc ion with the electronic configuration [Ar]3d . In aqueous solution an octahedral complex, [Zn(H 2 O) 6 ] is the predominant species. The volatilization of zinc in combination with zinc chloride at temperatures above 285 °C indicates
8480-406: The peroxide ( ZnO 2 ), the hydride ( ZnH 2 ), and the carbide ( ZnC 2 ) are also known. Of the four halides , ZnF 2 has the most ionic character, while the others ( ZnCl 2 , ZnBr 2 , and ZnI 2 ) have relatively low melting points and are considered to have more covalent character. In weak basic solutions containing Zn ions,
8586-528: The precise orientation and dynamics of the active site. In some enzymes, no amino acids are directly involved in catalysis; instead, the enzyme contains sites to bind and orient catalytic cofactors . Enzyme structures may also contain allosteric sites where the binding of a small molecule causes a conformational change that increases or decreases activity. A small number of RNA -based biological catalysts called ribozymes exist, which again can act alone or in complex with proteins. The most common of these
8692-630: The previous 20 years. Key figures involved in the effort included William Baillieu and William Sydney Robinson . Also involved was future U.S. president, but then a mining engineer working for Bewick, Moreing and Company , Herbert Hoover , who inspected the tailing dumps in the group's investigations prior to formation of the company. Other investors in the new company were Clark & Robinson (William Clark, Lionel Robinson and Company), and Arthur Terrell . They established concentrating mills at Broken Hill in 1905 and 1910, and in 1906 an associated sulphuric acid manufacturing plant whose first manager
8798-406: The reaction and releases the product. This work was further developed by G. E. Briggs and J. B. S. Haldane , who derived kinetic equations that are still widely used today. Enzyme rates depend on solution conditions and substrate concentration . To find the maximum speed of an enzymatic reaction, the substrate concentration is increased until a constant rate of product formation
8904-733: The reaction rate of the enzyme. In this way, allosteric interactions can either inhibit or activate enzymes. Allosteric interactions with metabolites upstream or downstream in an enzyme's metabolic pathway cause feedback regulation, altering the activity of the enzyme according to the flux through the rest of the pathway. Some enzymes do not need additional components to show full activity. Others require non-protein molecules called cofactors to be bound for activity. Cofactors can be either inorganic (e.g., metal ions and iron–sulfur clusters ) or organic compounds (e.g., flavin and heme ). These cofactors serve many purposes; for instance, metal ions can help in stabilizing nucleophilic species within
9010-399: The remainder, have been found that are 2,500 years old. A possibly prehistoric statuette containing 87.5% zinc was found in a Dacian archaeological site. Strabo writing in the 1st century BC (but quoting a now lost work of the 4th century BC historian Theopompus ) mentions "drops of false silver" which when mixed with copper make brass. This may refer to small quantities of zinc that is
9116-541: The reserve lifetime for zinc has remained unchanged. About 346 million tonnes have been extracted throughout history to 2002, and scholars have estimated that about 109–305 million tonnes are in use. Five stable isotopes of zinc occur in nature, with Zn being the most abundant isotope (49.17% natural abundance ). The other isotopes found in nature are Zn (27.73%), Zn (4.04%), Zn (18.45%), and Zn (0.61%). Several dozen radioisotopes have been characterized. Zn , which has
9222-497: The rest of the d-block metals. Many alloys contain zinc, including brass. Other metals long known to form binary alloys with zinc are aluminium , antimony , bismuth , gold , iron, lead , mercury, silver , tin , magnesium , cobalt , nickel , tellurium , and sodium . Although neither zinc nor zirconium is ferromagnetic , their alloy, ZrZn 2 , exhibits ferromagnetism below 35 K . Zinc makes up about 75 ppm (0.0075%) of Earth's crust , making it
9328-529: The same crystal structure , and in other circumstances where ionic radius is a determining factor, the chemistry of zinc has much in common with that of magnesium. In other respects, there is little similarity with the late first-row transition metals. Zinc tends to form bonds with a greater degree of covalency and much more stable complexes with N - and S - donors. Complexes of zinc are mostly 4- or 6- coordinate , although 5-coordinate complexes are known. Zinc(I) compounds are very rare. The [Zn 2 ] ion
9434-410: The same enzymatic activity have been called non-homologous isofunctional enzymes . Horizontal gene transfer may spread these genes to unrelated species, especially bacteria where they can replace endogenous genes of the same function, leading to hon-homologous gene displacement. Enzymes are generally globular proteins , acting alone or in larger complexes . The sequence of the amino acids specifies
9540-581: The second known zinc-containing enzyme in 1955. Zinc is the fourth most common metal in use, trailing only iron , aluminium , and copper with an annual production of about 13 million tonnes. The world's largest zinc producer is Nyrstar , a merger of the Australian OZ Minerals and the Belgian Umicore . About 70% of the world's zinc originates from mining, while the remaining 30% comes from recycling secondary zinc. Commercially pure zinc
9646-511: The second millennium BC it was used in the regions currently including West India , Uzbekistan , Iran , Syria , Iraq, and Israel . Zinc metal was not produced on a large scale until the 12th century in India, though it was known to the ancient Romans and Greeks. The mines of Rajasthan have given definite evidence of zinc production going back to the 6th century BC. The oldest evidence of pure zinc comes from Zawar, in Rajasthan, as early as
9752-412: The structure which in turn determines the catalytic activity of the enzyme. Although structure determines function, a novel enzymatic activity cannot yet be predicted from structure alone. Enzyme structures unfold ( denature ) when heated or exposed to chemical denaturants and this disruption to the structure typically causes a loss of activity. Enzyme denaturation is normally linked to temperatures above
9858-519: The substrate is completely bound, at which point the final shape and charge distribution is determined. Induced fit may enhance the fidelity of molecular recognition in the presence of competition and noise via the conformational proofreading mechanism. Enzymes can accelerate reactions in several ways, all of which lower the activation energy (ΔG , Gibbs free energy ) Enzymes may use several of these mechanisms simultaneously. For example, proteases such as trypsin perform covalent catalysis using
9964-405: The substrates. Enzymes can therefore distinguish between very similar substrate molecules to be chemoselective , regioselective and stereospecific . Some of the enzymes showing the highest specificity and accuracy are involved in the copying and expression of the genome . Some of these enzymes have " proof-reading " mechanisms. Here, an enzyme such as DNA polymerase catalyzes a reaction in
10070-399: The synthesis of antibiotics . Some household products use enzymes to speed up chemical reactions: enzymes in biological washing powders break down protein, starch or fat stains on clothes, and enzymes in meat tenderizer break down proteins into smaller molecules, making the meat easier to chew. By the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the digestion of meat by stomach secretions and
10176-520: The time of determination. Since exploration and mine development is an ongoing process, the amount of zinc reserves is not a fixed number and sustainability of zinc ore supplies cannot be judged by simply extrapolating the combined mine life of today's zinc mines. This concept is well supported by data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which illustrates that although refined zinc production increased 80% between 1990 and 2010,
10282-423: The two metal plates makes electrons flow from the zinc to the copper and corrode the zinc. The non-magnetic character of zinc and its lack of color in solution delayed discovery of its importance to biochemistry and nutrition. This changed in 1940 when carbonic anhydrase , an enzyme that scrubs carbon dioxide from blood, was shown to have zinc in its active site . The digestive enzyme carboxypeptidase became
10388-438: The type of reaction (e.g., DNA polymerase forms DNA polymers). The biochemical identity of enzymes was still unknown in the early 1900s. Many scientists observed that enzymatic activity was associated with proteins, but others (such as Nobel laureate Richard Willstätter ) argued that proteins were merely carriers for the true enzymes and that proteins per se were incapable of catalysis. In 1926, James B. Sumner showed that
10494-498: The use of impure zinc in ancient times have been discovered. Zinc ores were used to make the zinc–copper alloy brass thousands of years prior to the discovery of zinc as a separate element. Judean brass from the 14th to 10th centuries BC contains 23% zinc. Knowledge of how to produce brass spread to Ancient Greece by the 7th century BC, but few varieties were made. Ornaments made of alloys containing 80–90% zinc, with lead, iron, antimony , and other metals making up
10600-486: The yeast cells called "ferments", which were thought to function only within living organisms. He wrote that "alcoholic fermentation is an act correlated with the life and organization of the yeast cells, not with the death or putrefaction of the cells." In 1877, German physiologist Wilhelm Kühne (1837–1900) first used the term enzyme , which comes from Ancient Greek ἔνζυμον (énzymon) ' leavened , in yeast', to describe this process. The word enzyme
10706-562: Was (later Sir) H. W. Gepp . In 1911 they expanded into primary mining activities with the purchase of Broken Hill South Blocks Ltd (colloquially "South Blocks"), constructing underground mines and mining for zinc, lead , silver and gold in the Broken Hill area. In 1949, Zinc Corporation merged with the Imperial Smelting Corporation to become Consolidated Zinc. In 1953, Haddon King became chief geologist. Over time,
10812-581: Was first done for lysozyme , an enzyme found in tears, saliva and egg whites that digests the coating of some bacteria; the structure was solved by a group led by David Chilton Phillips and published in 1965. This high-resolution structure of lysozyme marked the beginning of the field of structural biology and the effort to understand how enzymes work at an atomic level of detail. Enzymes can be classified by two main criteria: either amino acid sequence similarity (and thus evolutionary relationship) or enzymatic activity. Enzyme activity . An enzyme's name
10918-589: Was isolated in Europe, it was imported from India in about 1600 CE. Postlewayt 's Universal Dictionary , a contemporary source giving technological information in Europe, did not mention zinc before 1751 but the element was studied before then. Flemish metallurgist and alchemist P. M. de Respour reported that he had extracted metallic zinc from zinc oxide in 1668. By the start of the 18th century, Étienne François Geoffroy described how zinc oxide condenses as yellow crystals on bars of iron placed above zinc ore that
11024-421: Was reported with more evidence that had the oxidation state of +3 with the formula ZnBeB 11 (CN) 12 . Zinc chemistry is similar to the chemistry of the late first-row transition metals, nickel and copper, though it has a filled d-shell and compounds are diamagnetic and mostly colorless. The ionic radii of zinc and magnesium happen to be nearly identical. Because of this some of the equivalent salts have
11130-451: Was used later to refer to nonliving substances such as pepsin , and the word ferment was used to refer to chemical activity produced by living organisms. Eduard Buchner submitted his first paper on the study of yeast extracts in 1897. In a series of experiments at the University of Berlin , he found that sugar was fermented by yeast extracts even when there were no living yeast cells in
11236-503: Was used through 1851. German chemist Andreas Marggraf normally gets credit for isolating pure metallic zinc in the West, even though Swedish chemist Anton von Swab had distilled zinc from calamine four years previously. In his 1746 experiment, Marggraf heated a mixture of calamine and charcoal in a closed vessel without copper to obtain a metal. This procedure became commercially practical by 1752. William Champion's brother, John, patented
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