Production of antibody catalysts

A method for catalyzing a chemical reaction wherein a reactant is converted to a product comprising contacting said reactant with at least one antibody catalyst, said antibody catalyst having been produced by a method comprising the steps of:

• (a) identifying a reactant represented by formula
• R.sub.1 --X--R.sub.2
• for said chemical reaction;
• (b) selecting a hapten which shares common antigenic determinants with said reactant and wherein said hapten is structurally and chemically different from said reactant in the vicinity of the reaction site, said hapten represented by formula ##STR146## wherein X is a portion of the reactant molecule altered by the chemical reaction and which comprises one or more nuclei and associated bonds, said nuclei comprising O, S, N, or C;
• and wherein Y is a portion of the hapten molecule where Y is related to X such that Y has a higher valence state and one or more additional bonds than X, and which comprises one or more nuclei and associated bonds, said nuclei comprising N, C, or P;
• and wherein Q represents one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of (a) positively charged substituents, when the catalyst is to have a negatively charged active surface, (b) negatively charged substituents, when the catalyst is to have a positively charged active surface, (c) polar substituents, when the catalyst is to have a polar active surface, (d) non-polar substituents, when the catalyst is to have a non-polar active surface, and (e) substituents of substantial bulk, when the catalyst is to have a cavity, and wherein Q can contain a group capable of linking the hapten to a carrier and wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.1 ' and R.sub.2 ' represent the residual chemical groups of the reactant and hapten which do not participate in the catalytic events, and R.sub.1 and R.sub.1 ', and R.sub.2 and R.sub.2 ' are, respectively, substantially similar to each other, said R.sub.1 ' and R.sub.2 ' being of similar size and charge to R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, respectively;
• (c) stimulating an immune response by said hapten;
• and
• (d) isolating antibodies resulting from said immune response which antibodies are catalytically active for said chemical reaction.