Aerobic life is possible because the molecular structure of oxygen (O2) makes direct reaction with most organic materials at ambient temperatures an exceptionally slow process. Of course, these reactions are inherently very favorable, and they occur rapidly with the release of a great deal of energy at high temperature. Nature has been able to tap this sequestered reservoir of energy with great spatial and temporal selectivity at ambient temperatures through the evolution of oxidase and oxygenase enzymes. One mechanism used by these enzymes for O2 activation has been studied in detail for the soluble form of the enzyme methane monooxygenase. These studies have revealed the step-by-step process of O2 activation and insertion into the ultimately stable C-H bond of methane. Additionally, an elegant regulatory mechanism has been defined that enlists size selection and quantum tunneling to allow methane oxidation to occur specifically in the presence of more easily oxidized substrates.

中文翻译：

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可溶性甲烷单加氧酶。

有氧寿命之所以成为可能，是因为氧（O2）的分子结构使得在环境温度下与大多数有机材料直接反应的过程非常缓慢。当然，这些反应本质上是非常有利的，并且在高温下随着大量能量的释放而迅速发生。大自然已经能够通过氧化酶和加氧酶的发展，在环境温度下以巨大的时空选择性利用这种被隔离的能量库。这些酶用于O2活化的机制已针对甲烷单加氧酶的可溶性形式进行了详细研究。这些研究揭示了O2活化和逐步插入甲烷最终稳定的CH键的逐步过程。此外，