Abstract
The most powerful oxidant found in nature is compound Q, an enzymatic intermediate that oxidizes methane. New spectroscopic data have resolved the long-running controversy about Q's chemical structure. See Letter p.431 Using time-resolved resonance Raman vibrational spectroscopy, Rahul Banerjee et al. have determined the structure of 'compound Q', a key transient intermediate from the soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) system found in methanotrophic bacteria. Q is the strongest known biological oxidant and catalyses cleavage of the ultimately stable C–H bond of methane with insertion of oxygen to form the liquid fuel methanol. With a better understanding of the structure and mechanism of action of Q it might be possible to synthesize small molecule enzyme mimetics that could convert naturally occurring methane to methanol, thereby converting a damaging greenhouse gas into a potentially important source of liquid fuel and chemicals.
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