Thirty years through vanadium chemistry

• The last 30 years of research on vanadium chemistry from our group is made.
• The developments achieved are made in their proper context with what was done by other groups.
• How (VO)2(OH)5− and VO(OH)3− were introduced as relevant hydrolytic VIVO-species is explained.
• Most reactions of pyridoxal-dependent enzymes are modeled by some Schiff base amino acid systems.

The relevance of vanadium in biological systems is known for many years and vanadium-based catalysts have important industrial applications, however, till the beginning of the 80s research on vanadium chemistry and biochemistry did not receive much attention from the scientific community. The understanding of the broad bioinorganic implications resulting from the similarities between phosphate and vanadate(V) and the discovery of vanadium dependent enzymes gave rise to an enormous increase in interest in the chemistry and biological relevance of vanadium. Thereupon the last 30 years corresponded to a period of enormous research effort in these fields, as well as in medicinal applications of vanadium and in the development of catalysts for use in fine-chemical synthesis, some of these inspired by enzymatic active sites. Since the 80s my group in collaboration with others made contributions, described throughout this text, namely in the understanding of the speciation of vanadium compounds in aqueous solution and in biological fluids, and to the transport of vanadium compounds in blood plasma and their uptake by cells. Several new types of vanadium compounds were also synthesized and characterized, with applications either as prospective therapeutic drugs or as homogeneous or heterogenized catalysts for the production of fine chemicals. The developments made are described also considering the international context of the evolution of the knowledge in the chemistry and bioinorganic chemistry of vanadium compounds during the last 30 years. This article was compiled based on the Vanadis Award presentation at the 9th International Vanadium Symposium.

The last thirty years of research on vanadium chemistry from our group is made in parallel with the contributions from other groups.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide