The iron active sites of enzymes routinely cleave strong C–H bonds, but synthetic complexes have so far been much slower and less efficient. Now, the reactivity of a biomimetic diiron complex has been dramatically enhanced by converting its oxo bridge into a terminal ligand, and its iron centre from low spin to high spin.
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Shaik, S. Iron opens up to high activity. Nature Chem 2, 347–349 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.638
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.638
