Objective
This project is aimed at developing new chemical catalysts that are able to mimic the action of the enzyme methane monooxygenase (MMO). The enzyme is able to catalyse the oxidation of methane to methanol under ambient conditions. The first chemical mimic of this enzyme has been made at the Institute of Chemical Physics, Chernogolovka.
The collaboration is aimed at improving on this intriguing catalyst by bringing together west European experts in C-H bond activation chemistry to help develop the work at Chernogolovka. On the biological side the work will be further developed by characterising recently discovered new form of the MMO enzyme. In this respect the work at Warwick will be used as a basis for developing methodologies that can be applied to the system developed .
The French and German partners are synthesising a variety of metal-based systems which are able to mimic biological C-H bond activation systems. Up to date information on the enzyme active site from both groups will be used to provide a basis for the design of suitable ligands for the enzyme mimic.
The macromolecule environment of the enzyme active site is available from physical studies and will be used by at the University of Bonn to create a supramolecular environment of the Russian mimics. This represents the first real attempt to bring together biochemists, catalytic chemists and modelling chemists to design a system to activate a small molecule which could offer significant economic potential.
Call for proposal
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COVENTRY
United Kingdom