Immobilised zinc (II) cyclen complexes as catalytic reagents for phosphodiester hydrolysis

Many hydrolases found in nature have Zn(II) ions at their active site. Artificial hydrolases as alternatives for non-enzymatic hydrolysis were prepared by attaching Zn(II) cyclen complexes with an alcohol pendant to a polymeric support. These modified polymers showed a 10⁴-fold enhanced intrinsic reactivity for the hydrolysis of activated phosphodiesters over the non-catalysed reaction in solution.