Recent Mechanistic Insights into Some Enzyme Mimetic Functions of Ceria

CeriaCeria, a prototypical reducible oxideReducible oxide, has been shown to possess enzyme-like catalytic activities in recent years, which makes it an attractive enzyme mimic with possible applications in medicine, biochemistry, and environment remediation. This chapter reviews the current literature for mechanistic understanding of the phosphatase, superoxide dismutaseSuperoxide dismutase, and catalase mimetic actions of ceriaCeria from experimental and theoretical approaches. Some inconsistencies stemming from common views of the role of the Ce3+/Ce4+ redox couple are identified and discussed. Alternative interpretations of experimental observations are suggested in hopes of unlocking the technological potentials of ceriaCeria.