Propane monooxygenases

Presumably, the propane monooxygenase activity, present in Rhodococcus strains, oxidized vinyl chloride to chlorooxirane, which subsequently chemically rearranged to products that could be further oxidized to carbon dioxide. The data on the initial oxidation rates of various experiments, described by Malachowsky et al. [18], were... 

Dalton H, BT Gording, BW Watyers, R Higgins, JA Taylor (1981) Oxidations of cyclopropane, methylcyclo-propane, and arenes with the monooxygenase system from Methylococccus capsulatus. J Chem Soc Chem Commun 482-483. 

While the focus of our research is to utimately activate methane to methanol, as is readily done by methane monooxygenase, we also want to understand what types of biomimics will activate higher homologues as well (C2, C3, and cycloC ). In addition, the bond dissociation energies may play an important role in our ability to activate methane at ambient temperature, since methane has the highest C-H bond dissociation energy (kcal) of all alkanes, i.e., methane(104) ethane(98) propane(96) and cyclohexane (94). 

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