Catalyst design in oxidation chemistry; from KMnO4 to artificial metalloenzymes.

Oxidation reactions are an important part of the synthetic organic chemist's toolkit and continued advancements have, in many cases, resulted in high yields and selectivities. This review aims to give an overview of the current state-of-the-art in oxygenation reactions using both chemical and enzymatic processes, the design principles applied to date and a possible future in the direction of hybrid catalysts combining the best of chemical and natural design.