Bioinspired Copper Sites for the Transformations of Greenhouse Gases Like Methane and Nitrous Oxide

ABSTRACT The quest for benign catalysts for environmental remediation under ambient conditions for a sustainable future is fueling contemporary research. Bioinspired catalysts are attractive candidates for this purpose. Methane and nitrous oxide are two of the most potent greenhouse gases. Nature uses the enzymes methane monooxygenase (MMO) and nitrous oxide reductase (N 2 OR) for the conversion of methane and nitrous oxide to methanol and nitrogen, respectively. Interestingly, particulate MMO (pMMO) and N 2 OR employ copper centers to accomplish these challenging conversions. Inspired by these active centers, various synthetic catalysts have been developed for methane and nitrous oxide conversion. This review presents an account of the catalytic systems bearing copper centers as the active sites for the production of methanol and nitrogen from methane and nitrous oxide, respectively. We highlight the various aspects—identity, location, and nuclearity—of the copper species involved in the catalytic process.