Binuclear Metal Complexes as Efficient Intermediaries in Biochemically Relevant Hydrolysis Reactions

Rates never before achieved for the hydrolysis of amides are attained by the Cu2(O2) complex 1, which converts dimethylformamide into the formate ion in seconds (half-lives of amides in water are often several years!). The interacting Cu ions play an important role. Such simple model systems can provide insights into the structure–activity relationships of enzymes and even lead to the development of highly active catalysts.