Abstract: The importance of the precise geometric orientation of a metal in metal-promoted amide hydrolysis has been demonstrated. Large rate enhancements (103-106) at neutral pH were found in zinc and copper complexes in which the metal is forced to lie above the plane of an amide. For this study, lactams 1-[(6-(dimethylamino) methyl)-2-pyridyl) methyl] hexahydro-1, 4-diazepin-5-one (1) and 1-[(6-((bis (carboxymethyl) amino) methyl)-2- ...