Over the last decade our view of chemistry has evolved substantially. Whereas individual researchers previously focused on specific areas of chemistry, such as inorganic, organic, etc. we now take a more holistic approach. Effective and efficient research projects now incorporate whatever aspects of the chemistry subdisciplines that are needed to complete the intended work. The main group elements have always been used in this manner. Depending on the use of the elements, the resulting work can be described under any heading of chemistry. The group 13 elements have been special in this regard...

The present issue of Structure and Bonding is dedicated to applied group 13 chemistry, particularly for the elements boron and aluminum, and to a lesser degree gallium and indium. Although boron is a trace element (0.01 g kg 1) in the earth's crust, it has been concentrated in a few locations by geochemical processes and is relatively easy to mine as borax. Aluminum, on the other hand, is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust (82 g kg 1) and dispersed widely throughout the globe. Thus, boron and aluminum are readily available and their associated products or compounds are usually...

Covering various biological aspects of aluminium, this text looks at acute aluminum intoxication, the effect of aluminum on iron metabolism in mammalian cells, aluminum-DNA interactions, aluminum interaction with nucleotides and nucleotidases, and aluminofluoride complexes in Alzheimer's Disease.