Enzyme analogous host catalysts

Dendrimers are being used as host molecules, catalysts, self-assembling nanostructures analogs of proteins, enzymes, and viruses and in analytical applications including in ion-exchange displacement chromatography and electrokinetic chromatography. 

There are two approaches to the discovery of enzyme mimics, i.e., to identify molecules that are able to bind substrate (s) and then catalyze reactions (Rowan, 1997). The first approach, often inspired by enzymes themselves, utilizes chemical knowledge and experience to design the catalyst The other approach is to create a library and select the best host for a transition-state analog of the required reaction. The second approach, i.e., the combinatorial search, is covered in Chapter 11 the first one is discussed below. This first approach, the finding of enzyme mimics, has been reviewed by Kirby (1996) and Reichwein (1994), among others. 

Functionalized hosts should accelerate selectivity of reactions at complexed guest molecules in analogy to the function of enzymes. One can imagine that for many synthetic problems the best suited macrocyclic hosts can be tailor-shaped to yield an optimum catalyst. 

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