Enantio-differentiating catalytic oxidation by a biomimetic trinuclear copper complex containing L-histidine residues

The trinuclear complex [Cu3PHI]6+, derived from a ligand containing two chiral L-histidine residues, performs the catalytic oxidation of L- and D-Dopa with remarkable enantio-differentiation; this depends on the anchoring effect provided by the copper center which is not participating in the catalytic reaction and recognizes the chirality of the substrate.