Modeling the Catalytic Cycle of Liver Alcohol Dehydrogenase: Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a Four-Coordinate Zinc Ethoxide Complex and Determination of Relative Zn−OR versus Zn−OH Bond Energies

Relative Zn−OR (R = H, Me, Et, But) heterolytic bond energies, of relevance to the catalytic cycle of liver alcohol dehydrogenase (LADH), have been determined by studying a series of alkoxide exchange equilibria. The alkoxides [TpBut,Me]ZnOR also undergo “hydride” transfer reactions which are related to the mechanism of action of LADH.