| Abstract: | Metal ions are ubiquitous in the biosphere. In living organisms metalloproteins with specifically designed metal cores perform
vital chemical processes. On the other hand, several heavy metals are detrimental to living organisms and nature has developed
effective enzymatic detoxification systems which convert toxic metal ions to less toxic species. The nuclear spectroscopy
technique Time Differential Perturbed Angular Correlation (TDPAC) of γ-rays uses radioactive isotopes as nuclear probes in
these metal cores to obtain a better understanding of the structural and functional significance of these metal cores by monitoring
the nuclear quadrupole interaction of the TDPAC probe. Since this technique is based on the nuclear decay, it is also applicable
under physiological conditions, i.e., especially at picomolar concentrations. For these studies an indispensable prerequisite
is the production of the TDPAC probes with highest possible specific activity and purity as is done by the on-line mass separator
ISOLDE at CERN in Geneva.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
