Copper-dioxygen complexes and their roles in biomimetic oxidation reactions - Advances in Catalytic Activation of Dioxygen by Metal Complexes - page 100

determining steps. The authors proposed that the higher efficiencies of the
and complexes are due to the small size of the
chelate rings, which make the more reactive and facilitate binding
of the substrate by displacing the weak axial ligand. Phenol hydroxlase
activity of these complexes have also been studied. With methyl-4-
hydroxybenzoate as a substrate, appreciable quantities of catecholate product
are obtained from the ortho-hydroxylation reactions of phenol mediated by
the dicopper(I) complexes of L-55 and L-66, while warming or longer