| Abstract: | The design and generation of selective catalysts is an important aim of chemists and biologists. A number of successful strategies have emerged, including the synthesis and derivatization of synthetic hosts, the chemical modification and site-directed mutagenesis of enzymes, and the attenuation of natural enzyme activities in organic solvents. Since 1986 several laboratories have exploited the immune system to generate selective catalysts capable of catalyzing a wide range of chemical transformations. These include acyl transfer, β-elimination, carbon—carbon bond-forming, carbon—carbon bond-cleaving, porphyrin metalation, peroxidation, and redox reactions. The variety and number of transformations catalyzed by antibodies in this short period of time is testament to the versatility and power of the method in generating selective catalysts for applications in chemistry, biology, and medicine. Here we report the use of a new class of uncharged transition-state analogues for generating antibodies capable of catalyzing ester and carbonate hydrolysis. These antibodies are compared to those raised against tetrahedral phosphate and phosphonate transition-state analogues. |
