We are interested in understanding the strategies used by enzymatic systems to achieve enormous rate accelerations. Our studies fall into two general areas: (i) the mechanism of nonenzymatic reactions in solution that are good models of the corresponding biological processes and (ii) the contribution of binding interactions between the protein and nonreactive portions of the substrate to enzymatic catalysis. The experimental techniques that we use to monitor reaction progress include Vis-UV spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).