Chemistry of Ru(edta) complexes relevant to oxidoreductase mimicking: a personal perspective

This report provides our research progresses exploring the use of Ru(edta) complexes (edta 4− = ethylenediaminetetraacetate) as a small-molecule model for mimicking the activity of the oxidoreductase family of enzymes ( viz. oxidases, peroxidases, oxygenases, and reductases) in regard to small molecule activation (or transformation) with a focus on incorporating mechanistic information for a better understanding of the reaction pathways of such enzymatic reactions. Our research contributions reported herein show how the presence and absence of water molecule in the primary coordination sphere of the Ru(edta) complex governs the inner-sphere and outer-sphere pathways for the aforesaid enzyme mimicking activity of Ru(edta). Efforts were made to place our achievements into perspective along with the accomplishment of others. This article chronicles the enzyme mimicking chemistry of Ru(edta) complexes (edta 4− = ethylenediaminetetraacetate) in regard to small molecule activation.