Stoichiometric Network Analysis: Studies on Chemical Coordinative Reactions Within Biological Material

Abstract

SNA, introduced in the 1970s by Canadian chemist Bruce Clarke and derived from matrix stability analysis, can be used to identify feedback structures in chemical and other reaction networks which are due to autocatalysis. Autocatalysis in turn is a type of feedback which resembles the chemical processes underlying cell-budding or whole-organism reproduction: first and rather continuously absorb certain kinds of matter from some reservoir and process them in a complicated chemical network to finally obtain more of the compounds constructing this network which in case of living organisms is actively kept together by the outer linings of the organism is both about biological reproduction and autocatalysis in “humble” chemical systems like acid-catalyzed oxidations releasing more protons in protic solvents. As effective feedback relies on certain network topologies and limited presence of competing reactions in either case, SNA can provide certain statements on limiting conditions which must be obeyed to keep chemical entities involved in biochemistry as reproduction takes place on and on and evolution goes on. It can be shown that these criteria essentially limit the number of essential elements while powerful yet rare and selective possible catalysts like PGMs or rhenium are as efficiently excluded from bioinorganic chemistry as abundant elements which could run just few biorelevant transformations (most notable, Al and Ti).