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Biomimetic selectivity
Author(s) -
Breslow Ronald
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the chemical record
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.61
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1528-0691
pISSN - 1527-8999
DOI - 10.1002/1528-0691(2001)1:1<3::aid-tcr3>3.0.co;2-b
Subject(s) - selectivity , chemistry , substrate (aquarium) , reactivity (psychology) , catalysis , enzyme , cytochrome p450 , enzyme catalysis , combinatorial chemistry , reagent , template , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , nanotechnology , materials science , biology , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , ecology
Synthetic organic chemistry normally achieves selectivity by manipulation of the intrinsic reactivity of the substrate, but enzyme use is quite a different principle. The geometry of the enzyme‐substrate complex determines enzymatic selectivity, completely overwhelming any normal selective reactivities. Biomimetic chemistry aims to imitate the enzymatic style. Some early approaches used attached reagents or templates to direct photochemical and free radical processes, with a combination of geometric and reactivity control. Recent work uses a mimic of the enzyme class cytochrome P‐450 to achieve the selective hydroxylations of steroids with complete domination by the geometry of the catalyst‐substrate complex. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and The Japan Chemical Journal Forum Chem Rec 1:3–11, 2001