Abstract
Most transition metal ions and some main group metal ions form complexes with small (Cl-, carboxylic acids, amino acids) and macromolecular organic substances (proteins, DNA, polysaccharides) present in the xylem and phloem of plants (Łobinski and Potin-Gautier 1998). In the first section of this chapter some remarks and definitions concerning the aqueous chemistry of metal ions will be given to facilitate further reading. The following sections present a brief outline of theories describing the nature of the coordination bond, the basic thermodynamics of complexation, the hydrolysis and chelation of metal ions and the reactions with important groups of ligands present in plants. The chapter will close with an overview of some special aspects relevant for the understanding of complexation reactions at macromolecules and the reaction mechanism of complex formation.
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