High-efficiency catalysts, preparation and use thereof

The present invention relates to nitrogen containing macrocycles, porphyrin-like, functionalised with peptide based synthetic compounds, and their preparation and use as catalysts in fine chemistry. They can be used, for example, as catalysts in aqueous or water-alcohol solutions for peroxidation, oxidation, hydroxylation, phenol nitration and inert compound epoxidation reactions, in the control and decontamination of waters and in laboratory diagnostics. They can also be used, for example, in immunohistochemical tests, in situ hybridisation, ELISA tests, and Southern, Northern and Western blot tests. The compounds according to the invention can be used "as is" or in covalent association with biomolecules such as antibodies, antigens, enzymes, receptors, nucleic acids, peptides and proteins. The compounds according to the invention have a wide range of applications, because they represent low molecular weight (2000-5000 amu) analogues of natural and mutated haemoproteins, and are therefore proposed as particularly advantageous alternatives to products of expression or extraction. The compounds according to the invention can also be used supported on solid matrices and/or on paramagnetic and non-paramagnetic nanoparticles.