'Synthesis of Vitamin-Metal Complexes' Transformed into a New Artificial Enzyme

A team of Korean researchers has succeeded in creating a new artificial enzyme by adding metal reaction control capabilities to vitamin B2 (riboflavin).

Riboflavin acts as a coenzyme that helps convert food into energy within the body. When endowed with the ability to control metal reactions, it operates more precisely and stably than natural enzymes, making it applicable in fields such as energy production, environmental remediation, and new drug development.

(From left) Dr. Neetu Singh, Ha-neul Lim, Integrated Master's and Doctoral Program, Dr. Seongyeon Kwon of IBS, (back) Professor Yoonjung Baek. Provided by KAIST

On November 11, a research team led by Professor Yoonjung Baek of the Department of Chemistry at KAIST, in collaboration with Dr. Seongyeon Kwon of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), announced that they had succeeded in developing a new molecular system in which riboflavin can bind to metal ions.

Due to its complex ring structure involving nitrogen and oxygen, riboflavin has limitations in selectively binding to metals. As a result, it had previously not been possible to realize "metal-bound riboflavin."

To overcome these limitations, the joint research team designed binding sites for metals within riboflavin at the molecular level and applied a metal chemistry approach that precisely arranges ligand structures to capture metals.

Through this, they succeeded in stably synthesizing riboflavin-metal complexes by precisely controlling the electronic and spatial interactions around the metal.

The research outcome (paper) of the joint research team was selected as the cover paper of the international academic journal Journal of Inorganic Chemistry. Provided by KAIST

This achievement marks the first case of integrating the unique properties of riboflavin with the reactivity of metals within a single system, opening up possibilities for the development of "metal-based artificial enzymes" capable of finely tuning chemical reactions.

Professor Baek stated, "The joint research team has gone beyond the limitations of naturally occurring riboflavin and expanded biomolecules as new components in metal chemistry. This study presents a new direction for designing next-generation catalysts and energy conversion materials based on biomolecules."

Meanwhile, Dr. Neetu Singh and Ha-neul Lim, an Integrated Master's and Doctoral Program student in the Department of Chemistry at KAIST, participated as co-first authors in this research. The results (paper) were published on November 5 in the international academic journal Inorganic Chemistry, issued by the American Chemical Society (ACS), and were also selected as the cover paper.

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