This book explores the uranium uptake by plants and its impact on plant physiology and biochemistry. In the first part of this work, the author summarizes the chemistry of uranium, its use and its environmental distribution. Then, particular attention is given to the methods for uranium detection, and to the plant biochemical reactions that influence the uranium uptake. Readers will also discover several strategies adopted by cells to immobilize and handle uranium.

Autorentext

Gerhard Geipel graduated in Chemistry at the Mining Academy of Freiberg, and holds a PhD from the Academy of Sciences of the German Democratic Republic. Afterwards, he was employed by Central Institute for Nuclear Research at Rossendorf. After German unification, he moved to the Research Center Rossendorf, Institute of Radiochemistry, now Helmholtz-Center Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology. In 2005 he was awarded with the Kurt Schwabe Award of the Saxonian Academy of Sciences for the first detection of dissolved Calcium-Uranyl-Carbonate species, which have fundamental importance in the environmental behavior of uranium migration. Since 2005 he was the head of the department Biogeochemistry. His research interests are especially the determination of the speciation of uranium and trans-uranium elements by laser-induced spectroscopic methods. Nanosecond laser pulses were applied to determine mainly inorganic species. For species with organic ligands femtosecond laser pulses were applied. During the last ten years his research interest has focused more on the interaction of uranium and lower actinides with living organisms and microorganisms, especially plants and plant cells. Up to now he is author/coauthor of about 100 scientific publications and have contributed to 6 books.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Chemistry of Uranium.- Methods of Uranium Detection.- Uranium Uptake by Plants.- Storage and Metabolism.- Uranium Immobilization and Excretion.