How the Co-C bond is cleaved in coenzyme B-12 enzymes: A theoretical study
The homolytic cleavage of the organometallic Co-C bond in vitamin B-12-dependent enzymes is accelerated by a factor of similar to 10(12) in the protein compared to that of the isolated cofactor in aqueous solution. To understand this much debated effect, we have studied the Co-C bond cleavage in the enzyme glutamate mutase with combined quantum and molecular mechanics methods. We show that the cal