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Low‐Molecular‐Weight Analogues of the Soluble Methane Monooxygenase (sMMO): From the Structural Mimicking of Resting States and Intermediates to Functional Models
Author(s) -
Siewert Inke,
Limberg Christian
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.200901910
Subject(s) - methane monooxygenase , chemistry , methanol , reactivity (psychology) , methane , active site , catalysis , histidine , combinatorial chemistry , biochemistry , enzyme , organic chemistry , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
The active centre of sMMO contains a diiron core ligated by histidine and glutamate residues, which is capable of catalysing a remarkable reaction: the oxidation of methane with O 2 yielding methanol. This review describes the results of efforts to prepare low‐molecular‐weight analogues of this active site directing towards 1) the assignment of the spectroscopic signatures identified for certain intermediates of the sMMO catalytic cycle to structural features and 2) the synthesis of molecular compounds that can mimic the reactivity. The historical development of the model chemistry, which is subdivided into structural and functional mimicking, is illustrated and achievements reached so far are highlighted.