Problems in Bioinorganic and Metal Cluster Chemistry

这个无机、生物无机和有机金属化学项目的奖项将支持哈佛大学R. H. Holm教授在生物无机化学几个领域的持续研究。研究方向包括：1)兔肝醛氧化酶的钼氧转移酶及其类似物的合成和同位素标记研究；2)氮酶辅助因子模型的合成；3)镍酶氢化酶和CO脱氢酶的功能模型。在所有类似物研究中，重点是提供酶作用的功能性模拟的合成模型。在一个较少涉及生物学的领域，将进行从可溶性硫金属酸盐和通过从不溶性非分子固体中切除片段合成分子硫代化物簇的研究。许多酶的性质使其精确的分子结构和机理细节不能用传统的物理技术来确定。各种间接方法已经发展起来，可以用来推断酶的结构，并帮助确定其催化机制中涉及的单个化学步骤。这些间接方法的应用和发展是本研究的目的。

This award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program will support continued studies by Professor R. H. Holm of Harvard University in several areas of bioinorganic chemistry. Areas to be investigated include 1) molybdenum oxotransferases including synthesis of analogues and isotopic labeling studies of rabbit liver aldehyde oxidase; 2) synthesis of models for the cofactors of nitrogenase; 3) functional models of the nickel enzymes hydrogenase and CO dehydrogenase. In all analogue studies emphasis is on synthetic models that provide functional mimics of the enzyme action. In a less biologically related area investigations of the synthesis of molecular chalogenide clusters from soluble thiometallates and by excision of fragments from insoluble, nonmolecular solids will be undertaken. %%% The nature of many enzymes is such that precise molecular structures and mechanistic details cannot be determined by conventional physical techniques. A variety of indirect methods have evolved that can be used to infer enzyme structures and to help define the individual chemical steps involved in their catalytic mechanisms. The application and development of these indirect methods is the purpose of this research.