الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Iron is a member of the group of transition metals
which share two important properties, the ability
to exist in several oxidation statos and the ability
to form stable complexes. It is these properties
which have made the transition elements important
components of electron and oxygen carrying proteins
Among the metctllic elements, iron easily quctlifies
for preeminent interest in biochemistry and
medicine. Not only is it the most abundant metal,
but its biochemical functions are extremely diverse
ranging from the activation of oxygen, nitrog<·n and
hydrogen to the control of electron flow througl1
numerous bioenergetic pathways, The l1uman body
contains 4-5 grams of iron. Zinc is second, among
the metals, with about 2 grams. Other metals are
present in much smaller (80, 20, 9, 6 and 1 mg) for
Cu, ~!n, Mo, Cr and Co, respectively(l) or genuinPly
”trace” quanti ties. Of the total iron a few hundr••d
mg are found as an essential part of various oxidativv
enzymes and of myoglobin. About 3 g are present in
haemog-lobin nnd the rest, amounting to bl:’tween u.5
and 2.0 g,With a great individual variation, is situated in orKans such as the liver, spleen and bone marrow,
Owing to the normal breakdown of red blood cells
some 20-25 mg of iron are liberated from haemoglobin
each day and this q11antity is liberated into the
plasma