Introduction to Sulfur Chemical Biology

Abstract

This chapter introduces global levels of sulfur, its comparison to oxygen, being just below in the periodic table of elements, and the common inorganic and organic functional groups of sulfur that allow life to exist. The accessibility of sulfur oxidation states ranging from (−2) to (+6) were crucial in the evolution of sulfate-reducing pathways as energy harvesting devices while microbes evolved on an anaerobic planet. As the planet oxidized, sulfate has become the most abundant inorganic form of sulfur. The metabolic connection between inorganic sulfur and organic sulfur occurs with the enzymatic incorporation of H2S into the framework of the amino acid cysteine. From that entry point methionine is also produced along with the proliferation of different organosulfur functional groups, including thiols, thioesters, disulfides, persulfides and sulfonium ions that enable key metabolic transformations.

Sulfur content in foods and beverages and its role in human and animal metabolism: A scoping review of recent studies

“…S belongs to the same group (IV) in the periodic table of elements together with oxygen (O 2 ), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te), which results in a similar behavior of their organic derivatives [ 9 ]. For example, water, H 2 S, hydrogen selenide (H 2 Se), and hydrogen tellurium (H 2 Te) are structurally related compounds.…”

“…and reduced forms (S 2− , HS − , and hydrogen-sulfide [H 2 S]). S may exist in the following oxidation states: −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6 [ 9 ].

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