Towards an Understanding of the Chemistry of Oxygen Reduction

Abstract

Advances in understanding of the structure and the catalytic cycle of oxygen reduction of the protonmotive haem-copper terminal oxidases are reviewed. This information has been combined with our recent recognition of the need for electroneutrality of stable catalytic intermediates to produce a new working model of the essential elements of the chemiosmotic mechanism of coupling of oxygen reduction chemistry to vectorial proton translocation.