Biomimetic control in synthesis

ORGN 33

Ronald Breslow, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, 3000 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Selectivity in organic chemistry is dominated by the intrinsic reactivity of the substrate (aldehydes reduce more readily than ketones) but biochemical selectivity is dominated by the geometry of the enzyme/substrate complex. In biomimetic systems we have achieved such geometrically controlled selectivity, both in catalytic processes and in reactions where hydrophobic effects control the orientation of reagents next to substrates. Progress and prospects in this field will be described.