Biomimetic Catalysts
Biomimetic catalysts are the synthetic organic or inorganic compounds which perform the same function as the natural enzymes. These biomimetic catalysts may operate under harsher solvent and temperature conditions and may be more robust in terms of lifetime, even if they may be unsuitable for high throughput. Some of the processes that can be catalyzed by biomimetic catalysts include macrocyclization of natural products, production of analogues of hydrogenase or nitrogenase catalysts or the photosynthetic splitting of water. However, sometimes natural enzymes should be preferred over synthetic reagents and catalysts, as in case of the following: (i) lipases and other hydrolases, have an advantage in kinetic resolutions of intermediates, (ii) peniallin acylases are useful in β-lactam antibiotic industry and (iii) aldolases and transketolases help in the synthesis of oligosaccharides due to aldol condensation.