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Related Concept Videos

Heterogeneous Catalysis01:22

Heterogeneous Catalysis

Heterogeneous catalysis involves a catalyst in a different phase from the reactants. It is a process where the catalyst and the reactants are in distinct phases, typically solid and gas or liquid.Most heterogeneous catalysts are metals, metal oxides, or acids. The list includes transition metals like iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), tungsten (W), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu). These metals possess partially vacant d orbitals that...
Catalysis02:50

Catalysis

The presence of a catalyst affects the rate of a chemical reaction. A catalyst is a substance that can increase the reaction rate without being consumed during the process. A basic comprehension of a catalysts’ role during chemical reactions can be understood from the concept of reaction mechanisms and energy diagrams.
Catalysis01:27

Catalysis

Catalysis influences the rate of chemical reactions by providing an alternative reaction pathway with lower activation energy. A catalyst speeds up a reaction, but it is not consumed during the process. The fundamental principle of catalysis is the ability of a catalyst to alter the reaction mechanism, often introducing a more efficient pathway than the uncatalyzed process.In a catalyzed reaction, the catalyst participates directly in the reaction mechanism. It interacts with reactants to form...
Factors Influencing the Rate of Chemical Reactions01:22

Factors Influencing the Rate of Chemical Reactions

A variety of factors influence the rate of chemical reactions. For a chemical reaction to happen, atoms must collide with enough energy to overcome the repulsion between their electrons. This energy is called activation energy. Factors influencing the rate of reaction either lower the activation energy or increase the likelihood of a successful collision.
Concentration and Pressure:
The more particles present within a given space, the more likely those particles are to bump into one another.
Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation02:17

Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation

Catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes is a transition-metal catalyzed reduction of the double bond using molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. The mode of hydrogen addition follows syn stereochemistry.
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
Pericyclic Reactions: Introduction01:17

Pericyclic Reactions: Introduction

Pericyclic reactions are organic reactions that occur via a concerted mechanism without generating any intermediates. The reactions proceed through the movement of electrons in a closed loop to form a cyclic transition state, where rearrangement of the σ and π bonds yields specific products.
Pericyclic reactions can be classified into three categories: electrocyclic reactions, cycloaddition reactions, and sigmatropic rearrangements. Electrocyclic reactions and sigmatropic rearrangements are...

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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications
09:18

Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications

Published on: June 21, 2017

Ancient hemes for ancient catalysts.

Serena Rinaldo1, Maurizio Brunori, Francesca Cutruzzolà

  • 1Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche "A. Rossi Fanelli;"

Plant Signaling & Behavior
|August 26, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Ancient hemes, like d(1)-heme, are molecular fossils crucial for survival. Their unique structures, such as in Pseudomonas aeruginosa nitrite reductase, facilitate strategic biological functions like nitric oxide release.

Keywords:
d1-hemeevolutionnitric oxidenitrite reductaseporphyrinsirohemesulphite reductase

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08:40

Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production

Published on: December 6, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Tetrapyrroles, including hemes, are vital molecules with diverse cellular functions across all life forms.
  • Cellular synthesis of tetrapyrroles involves complex machinery, suggesting evolutionary retention is linked to essential roles.
  • Ancient heme structures may represent molecular fossils preserved due to their strategic importance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose that ancient heme structures, specifically d(1)-heme and siroheme, have survived evolutionary pressures due to their critical functions.
  • To highlight the NO-releasing propensity of d(1)-heme in Pseudomonas aeruginosa nitrite reductase as an example of this evolutionary strategy.
  • To hypothesize that the d(1)-heme structure is essential for rapid nitric oxide (NO) dissociation, a property vital for enzymatic activity.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of ancient heme structures (d(1)-heme, siroheme) and common heme types (b-type).
  • Review of existing literature on the functions of cd(1) nitrite reductase and bacterial/plant nitrite and sulfite reductases.
  • Examination of the nitric oxide (NO) releasing properties of d(1)-heme from P. aeruginosa.

Main Results:

  • Ancient hemes like d(1)-heme and siroheme are proposed as molecular fossils conserved for strategic roles.
  • The d(1)-heme of Pseudomonas aeruginosa nitrite reductase exhibits a unique nitric oxide (NO) releasing capability.
  • This NO-releasing propensity is suggested to be crucial for the enzyme's activity.

Conclusions:

  • The d(1)-heme structure is hypothesized to be a prerequisite for rapid NO dissociation from the ferrous form.
  • This rapid NO release is critical for enzymatic function and cannot be achieved with more common b-type hemes.
  • Ancient heme structures are evolutionarily maintained because of their indispensable strategic functions in organisms.