Beyond symmetric self-assembly and effective molarity: unlocking functional enzyme mimics with robust organic cages

• Keith G. Andrews

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 421–443, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.30

• concepts of organization and polarization, and anticipating future developments; and, (2) to introduce robust organic cages as functional enzyme mimics, and highlight how their unique features might advance cavity catalysis and provide more realistic enzyme models for studying electric field catalysis and

• smaller reagents. Also in the category of (functionalized) macrocycles are large enzyme models, such as those reported by Cram [65][86][87][88], Breslow [74][75][89][90][91][92], Diederich [93], and others [94][95][96], constructed by (often laborious) linear synthesis to afford more elaborate

• combinations of macrocyclic cavities adorned with functional groups (Figure 3A) [97][98]. These grand “set-piece” enzyme models typically showed only modest catalytic enhancements for enzyme-relevant reactions like the hydrolysis of activated esters, and so mostly contributed to the view that enzymes do not

Is the tungsten(IV) complex (NEt₄)₂[WO(mnt)₂] a functional analogue of acetylene hydratase?

• Matthias Schreyer and
• Lukas Hintermann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 2332–2339, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.230

• acetylene. A critical assessment of, and a possible explanation for the earlier reported results are offered. The title question is answered with "no". Keywords: acetylene hydratase; alkynes; catalytic hydration; enzyme models; tungsten complexes; Introduction In 1985, the enzyme acetylene hydratase