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Pressure inside Small Cavities: A Possible Factor in Enzyme Catalysis and Selectivity
Author(s) -
Saunders Martin
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
helvetica chimica acta
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.74
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1522-2675
pISSN - 0018-019X
DOI - 10.1002/hlca.200390089
Subject(s) - chemistry , molecule , catalysis , chemical physics , enzyme , selectivity , anisotropy , computational chemistry , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , optics , physics , materials science
There are many different examples where atoms or molecules are found in cavities within larger (cage) molecules. The term host–guest chemistry has been used to describe this situation. This paper considers the possibility that pressure within the cavities can be measured or calculated in several possible ways. The various values for pressure for different systems can serve to compare them. It is suggested that pressure might be related to the rate of escape of the contents through an opening in the cage wall and to the equilibrium between inside and outside. Furthermore, in the case of substrates within enzyme active sites, it is suggested that the pressure is anisotropic. Pressure localized along certain directions may play an important role in the catalytic function of the enzyme.