https://sci-hub.se/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0022-2836(07)00961-8Figure 5 shows that there are 132 instances of
nucleophile and nucleofuge functions (nucleophilic
covalent catalysis), but only 32 cases of electrophile
and electrofuge functions (electrophilic covalent
catalysis). This can be rationalised by the chemical
nature of the catalytic amino acid residues in
MACiE: they are uniquely able to stabilise the
catalytic states required for nucleophilic covalent
catalysis, whereas the states required for electrophilic covalent catalysis are less well stabilised and
thus much less common.