1st Edition
by Enrique Macia-Barber (Author)
Here is a fascinating
reader-friendly exploration of “the phosphorus enigma.” The volume
attempts to answer the questions: How did phosphorus atoms, which are
produced inside the inner cores of a handful of huge stars, become
concentrated in relatively high proportions in the organisms composing
Earth’s biosphere? And how did these phosphate derivatives manage to be
included in such a great variety of organic molecules playing essential
biochemical roles in all known life forms?
Due to the
interdisciplinary nature of the topic, the volume is arranged in three
sections. The first section introduces the fundamental concepts and
notions of physics, chemistry, and biology necessary for the proper
understanding of the topics discussed within an astronomical framework.
The author then focuses on the role of phosphorus and its compounds
within the context of chemical evolution in galaxies, considering its
relevance in most essential biochemical functions as well as its
peculiar chemistry under different physicochemical conditions. The third
section provides an overall perspective on the role of phosphorus and
its compounds in current areas of research of solid state physics,
materials engineering, nanotechnology or medicine.
