What is H2BioCatO2 ?
The network Biomimetic metal complexes: use of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide (H2BioCatO2) aims to become a Spanish reference thematic network in the field of the applicability of metal complexes to solve some strategical problems of European and worldwide interest. To achieve that goal it will use metal complexes able to act as biomimetic catalyzers in different chemical transformations using oxygen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Biomimetic catalysis refers to chemical catalysis that mimics some of the essential features of the enzymes, i.e. high affinity by the substrate, a high turnover number and an important acceleration of the reaction rates with respect to the uncatalyzed process. The H2BioCatO2 network is formed by several research groups working in the development of biomimetic redox catalysts that could be applied to solve some of the current major problems not only for science but also for the society from a general point of view. Those problems involve the use of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide for carrying out processes that lead to advances from the chemical, environmental, energy of pharmacological points of view. The network includes ten research groups from different Spanish institutions, mainly universities. They have been selected not only because of their previous experience in activities related to those faced in the network but also because of the complementarity between the ways in which they approach to the problems. The proposal includes several actuations designed to facilitate collaborative work that lead to more relevant results and to an increase of the visibility of the Spanish research in the field.