Biomimetic catalysis in a larger context. Correlation of structure and function with genesis

The relationships between the formation (serial synthesis, self assembly, etc.) of biological and man-made catalysts and their catalyzed reactions are discussed. A potentially utilitarian implication of a correlation between catalyst genesis and function is a more resilient catalyst can 'sense' certain kinds of damage (those involved in reversal of the catalyst into its synthetic components) and repair itself. A set of correlated reactions has been developed. The catalyst, H4PVMo11O40, self assembles from several components and simultaneously catalyzes a new, fast and highly selective reaction, the oxidative dehydrogenation of alpha-terpinene to p-cymene by t-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP).