Bicarbonate Inhibition of Carbonic Anhydrase Mimics Hinders Catalytic Efficiency: Elucidating the Mechanism and Gaining Insight toward Improving Speed and Efficiency

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) mimics are often studied with a focus on the hydration of CO2 for atmospheric carbon capture. Consequently, the reverse reaction (dehydration of HCO3–) has received minimal attention, so much so that the rate-limiting step of the dehydration reaction in CA mimics is currently unknown. The rate-limiting step of the hydration reaction is reported to be the bicarbonate-bound intermediate step, and thus is susceptible to...