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. Programme(s) IC-INTAS - International Association for the promotion of cooperation with scientists from the independent states of the former Soviet Union (INTAS), 1993- Topic(s) 36 - Biochemistry and New Pharmaceutical Compounds Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK EU contribution No data Address GIBBET HILL ROAD COVENTRY United Kingdom See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Participants (4) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France EU contribution No data Address 31077 Toulouse See on map Total cost No data Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn Germany EU contribution No data Address 53121 Bonn See on map Total cost No data Russian Academy of Sciences Russia EU contribution No data Address 142432 Chernogolovka, Moscow Region See on map Total cost No data Russian Academy of Sciences Russia EU contribution No data Address 142432 Chernogolovka, Moscow Region See on map Total cost No data