Doing What Comes Unnaturally - Synthetic Biomolecules

A cartoon representation of nitrogenase in operation, showing the component proteins. The active site of nitrogenase that resides in the Fe—Mo protein determined from a crystal structure analysis, and which contains two linked distorted M4S4 cubes, is also shown. 

This reaction is thermodynamically inefficient, reflected in the complexity of the enzymic 

3 Doing What Comes Unnaturally - Synthetic Biomolecules 

To mimic nature is a demanding but appealing task. Many metalloenzymes are difficult to isolate and purify, and thus to obtain in sufficient quantities to employ in a commercially 

Mimics of carbonic anhydrase exemplify the genre further. Here, a simple saturated triaza-macrocycle replaces the histidine imidazole groups of the protein, yet the shape 

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