One of the most active areas of contemporary organic chemistry involves the search for new catalysts that borrow concepts, strategies and even components from enzymes but yet are not found in nature. Such artificial enzymes not only give enormous insights into the mechanisms of enzyme catalysis but also offer the potential for catalyzing a wide range of chemical reactions with no counterpart in nature. Several approaches have been taken in the deVelopment of new catalysts, some based on biological methods and others on synthetic techniques. Site directed mutagenesis has allowed the direct replacement of amino acids in an enzyme with resulting changes in stability, selectivity and mechanism. Recent developments have shown that even non-natural amino acids can be incorporated into proteins and also that enzymes can function effectively in organic solvents. A different biological route to artificial enzymes has exploited the immune system and its ability to generate millions of antibodies to a given antigen. Novel antigens have been designed to mimic the transition states of chemical reactions. Antibodies elicited against these antigens thus contain an active site that is complementary to transition state structure and can potentially catalyze target reactions. A broad range of reactions can now be 6 catalyzed using the method with rate accelerations reaching 10 compared to the control reactions. Protein engineering and catalytic antibodies represent complex solutions to the problem of artificial enzymes. Their complexity is however their principal limitation.

In current thinking, Bioorganic Chemistry may be defined as the area of chemistry which lies in the border region between organic chemistry and biology and which describes and analyzes biological phenomena in terms of detailed molecular structures and molecular mechanisms. This molecular-level view of biological processes is not only essential to their fuller understanding but also serves as the platform for the application of the principles of such processes to areas of health care and technology. The objective of the ASI workshop on " Bioorganic Chemistry in Healthcare and Technology", held in the Hengelhoef Congress Centre in Houthalen-Helchteren, Belgium, from September 18-21, 1990, was to bring together most of the international experts in the field to discuss the current developments and new trends in bioorganic chemistry, especially in relation to the selected theme. The book presents nineteen invited plenary and session lectures and eighteen posters. These cover areas of (i) molecular design of therapeutic and agronomical agents based npon mechanistic rationale or drug-receptor interactions, (ii) production of substances of commercial value via combined organic chemical and bio-chemical methodologies, (iii) fundamental studies on the molecular mechanisms of enzymes and (iv) the evolution of conceptually new molecular systems which are programmed to execute specific recognition and/or catalytic functions. An abstracted version of the plenary discussion held at the end of the workshop is also included. We feel confident that the subject matter of this book will be of interest to a broad group of chemists engaged in academic or industrial research.

This book focuses on molecular space chemistry, which is recognized as an important concept for the design of novel functional materials and catalysts. A wide variety of topics and ideas included in this book are based on that concept. The book showcases recent representative examples of molecular space design to create functional materials and catalysts possessing unique properties. This unique volume will be of great interest to chemists in a wide variety of research fields, including organic, inorganic, biological, polymer, and supramolecular chemistry. Readers will obtain new ideas and directions to create novel functional molecules, and those ideas will lead to innovative views of science.

Highlighting the key aspects and latest advances in the rapidly developing field of molecular catalysis, this book covers new strategies to investigate reaction mechanisms, the enhancement of the catalysts' selectivity and efficiency, as well as the rational design of well-defined molecular catalysts. The interdisciplinary author team with an excellent reputation within the community discusses experimental and theoretical studies, along with examples of improved catalysts, and their application in organic synthesis, biocatalysis, and supported organometallic catalysis. As a result, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the catalytic transformations, allowing them to adapt the knowledge to their own investigations. With its ideal combination of fundamental and applied research, this is an essential reference for researchers and graduate students both in academic institutions and in the chemical industry. With a foreword by Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann.

This volume grew out of a symposium organized by the students of Professor Myron L. Bender. His research focused on the mechanisms of enzymatic catalysis and was instrumental in showing that enzymes do not possess magical powers to accelerate reactions a trillion times on an average, but follow simple rules of chemistry. A group of scientists who were trained by Bender have contributed some of their work to this book to pay homage to their mentor. The range of topics covered is such that researchers and industry with interest in biological chemistry will gain knowledge from the advances being made in related fields. The book shows organic chemists what advances have taken place in biological chemistry and biochemists will discover how principles of organic chemistry can be applied to reveal the powers of enzymatic catalysis.

The theory, methods, and practices needed to build molecules and supramolecular systems Using a synthetic approach to organic materials chemistry, this book sets forth tested and proven methods and practices that make it possible to engineer organic molecules offering special properties and functions. Throughout the book, plenty of real-world examples demonstrate the countless possibilities of creating one-of-a-kind molecules and supramolecular systems to support a broad range of applications. The book explores applications in both materials and bioorganic chemistry, including molecular electronics, energy storage, sensors, nanomedicine, and enzyme engineering. Organic Synthesis and Molecular Engineering consists of fourteen chapters, each one contributed by one or more leading international experts in the field. The contributions are based on a thorough review and analysis of the current literature as well as the authors' firsthand experience in the lab engineering new organic molecules. Designed as a practical lab reference, the book offers: Tested and proven synthetic approaches to organic materials chemistry Methods and practices to successfully engineer functionality into organic molecules Explanations of the principles and concepts underlying self-assembly and supramolecular chemistry Guidance in selecting appropriate structural units used in the design and synthesis of functional molecules and materials Coverage of the full range of applications in materials and bioorganic chemistry A full chapter on graphene, a new topic generating intense research Organic Synthesis and Molecular Engineering begins with core concepts, molecular building blocks, and synthetic tools. Next, it explores molecular electronics, supramolecular chemistry and self-assembly, graphene, and photoresponsive materials engineering. In short, it offers everything researchers need to fully grasp the underlying theory and then build new molecules and supramolecular systems.

The organic chemist is rarely satisfied by a simple "explanation" of the reactivity of organic molecules. Rather, the chemist wants to go one step further, to "control" the behavior of molecules by altering their structure in a controlled way. This is, in fact, a rather stringent definition of "understanding," as it requires the "prediction" of behavior from structure (or structure from behavior). But it also places technical demands on the chemist. He must be able to synthesize the molecules he studies, characterize them at the atomic level of structural resolution, and then measure their behaviors to the precision that his explanation demands. Biological chemistry presents special problems in this regard. Although the tools for synthesis, purification, and structural characterization are now available for manipulating rather large biological macromolecules (proteins and nucleic acids in particular), the theory supporting these manipulations is inadequate. We certainly do not know enough to control generally the behavior of biological macromolecules; still worse, it is not clear that we know enough to design synthetic molecules to expand our understanding about how reactivity in such biological macromolecules might be controlled. Starting from scratch, there are simply too many oligopeptides to make; starting from native proteins, there are simply too many structural mutations that might be introduced.