Organic Mechanisms of Enzyme Catalysis

Enzyme-catalyzed reactions will be examined by viewing enzymes simply as highly efficient organic chemists. A survey of the types of enzymatic transformations will focus on one or two examples of enzymes that catalyze each transformation. We will look at the detailed organic reaction mechanisms and study enzymology as a biological application of physical organic chemistry. The methods and key experiments used to establish the accepted mechanisms will be emphasized. The course will culminate with a final project involving the design of mechanism-based inhibitors as potential pharmaceutical agents. Examples from the current scientific literature will supplement textbook readings. (CHEM 0242 and CHEM 0352, or CHEM 0353) 3 hrs. lect.