Porphyrin Traps Its Terminator! Concerted and Stepwise Porphyrin Degradation Mechanisms Induced by Heme‐Oxygenase and Cytochrome P450

Concerted or stepwise? A homolytic stepwise pathway is taken by the enzyme heme-oxygenase (HO) to degrade the porphyrin ring in heme species. The porphyrin ring assists the enzyme by trapping the hydroxyl radical during the degradation (see scheme). HO is compared to cytochrome P450. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2004/z52943_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.