Enzymes accelerate reactions by up to 10¹⁸ [Radzicka, Wolfenden, Science] and using the mechanism of electrostatic or electric field-driven catalysis,[Warshel et al., Chem. Rev.] by which activation barriers are reduced via preorganized electric fields acting on the transition state (see Figure). This model provides a powerful, physico-chemical framework to tune chemical reactions in solvents, at interfaces, or in (macromolecular) complexes or proteins. We are developing and using the vibrational Stark effect-based approaches (see below) to explore electrostatic catalysis in chemical and biological contexts. In the future, on the one hand, electrostatic catalysis can help understanding the evolution of antimicrobial resistances; on the other hand, it presents an elegant way to tune chemical reactivity in nanoreactors via external electric fields.

Relevant Publications:
Kirsh & Kozuch*, ChemRxiv, 2024, 10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-rjm5p
Kirsh, …, Kozuch*, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 10.1021/jacs.3c14775
Schneider & Kozuch et al., ACS Centr. Sci., 2021, 10.1021/acscentsci.1c00880

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Relevant Publications:…

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Relevant Publications:
Paschke, …, Kozuch*, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 10.1002/anie.202309069
Kozuch* et al., Nat. Rev. Methods Primers, 2023, 10.1038/s43586-023-00253-8
Kozuch et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2012, 10.1002/anie.201203214

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Relevant Publications:
Kirsh & Kozuch*, ChemRxiv, 2024, 10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-rjm5p
Kirsh, …, Kozuch*, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 10.1021/jacs.3c14775
Cruz, …, Kozuch,* J. Chem. Phys., 2024, 10.1063/5.0198303
Kozuch* et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, 2021, 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c00578

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Relevant Publications:
Kirsh & Kozuch*, ChemRxiv, 2024, 10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-rjm5p
Kozuch* et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, 2021, 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c00578