Nature: A Model System for Chemists

Abstract

Chemists have learned to imitate the principles of biologic chemistry in the quest to produce artificial enzymes, artificial receptors, and, ultimately, artificial living cells. The field of natural products chemistry is concerned chiefly with discovering the structures of the molecules produced in living systems as well as the paths by which they are produced. Biomimetic chemistry takes nature as a model and extends what exists in biology into what is possible. This process includes using hydrophobic effects in water to achieve selective reactions and making new amino acids and new nucleotides to generalize the properties of proteins and nucleic acids. Potent new catalysts are based on the chemistry performed by coenzymes using bifunctional acid–base catalysis and the water exclusion achieved by natural enzymes. Exciting new areas include molecular machines, mimics of the chemical senses, and work on the origin on earth of the homochirality observed in biomolecules. The studies using nature as a model have enriched chemistry greatly and furnished interesting insights into biochemistry.

Biomimetic Catalysis

“…There are many other types of biomimetic catalysis, including biomimetic electrocatalysis and biomimetic inorganic catalysis, which are not discussed herein. For a more comprehensive discussion, readers are directed toward several excellent reviews. , …”

“…For a more comprehensive discussion, readers are directed toward several excellent reviews. 12,13 In constructing artificial enzyme mimics, researchers have focused on several features of enzymes that facilitate efficient catalysis, 14À16 including (1) high enzymeÀsubstrate binding affinities, (2) high catalytic turnovers of enzyme-catalyzed reactions, and (3) substantial rate accelerations relative to uncatalyzed reactions. Each of these features is discussed in turn.…”