Analogy between Enzyme and Nanoparticle Catalysis: A Single-Molecule Perspective

Journal Article · 22 January 2019 · ACS Catalysis

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.8b04926 · OSTI ID:1658609

Ye, Rong  ^[1]; Mao, Xianwen ^[2]; Sun, Xiangcheng ^[2]; Chen, Peng  ^[2]

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1. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States); Cornell U
2. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States)

Catalysis as a field is classically divided into three areas: homogeneous, heterogeneous, and biological catalysis.1 For the latter two, i.e., biological catalysis and heterogeneous catalysis, their dissimilarity can be apparent intuitively, from the scenes of fruit fermentation in a rural winery to make wine and oil refining in a process plant to produce gasoline. In addition to the practical differences, technological terms common in both areas show divergences in meaning. Here, a highly relevant example is the term turnover number.2 It refers to the maximum number of substrate molecules converted to products per enzyme molecule per second, often written as k_cat in enzyme catalysis; while the same term means the number of moles of reactants that a mole of catalyst converts before deactivation, usually abbreviated as TON in heterogeneous catalysis.

• Research Organization: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0004911
• OSTI ID: 1658609
• Journal Information: ACS Catalysis, Journal Name: ACS Catalysis Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 9; ISSN 2155-5435
• Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English