Imprinted polymers with transition metal catalysts.

The microenvironment of immobilized transition metal catalysts can be manipulated using catalyst-substrate conjugates in combination with the technology of molecular imprinting. Recent results have shown that catalysts with a significantly enhanced activity combined with an improved substrate-, regio- and enantioselectivity can be prepared in this way. These artificial systems resemble metalloenzymes because the catalytic transformation is effectively controlled by a well-defined second coordination sphere.