Transition metal-saccharide chemistry and biology: an emerging field of multidisciplinary interest

Abstract

The interactions of transition metal ions with saccharides have been a subject of current interest. This review presents, in brief, the understanding of these interactions through our recent work in this promising field. Methodologies have been developed to synthesize and isolate a large number of complexes of transition metal ions with saccharides, using readily available and/or easy to prepare starting materials, The characterized complexes have been classified into various structurally diverse categories. Biological relevances of some of the transition metal-saccharide complexes have been discussed.