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Related Concept Videos

Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation02:13

Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Alkenes undergo reduction by the addition of molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. Because the process generally occurs in the presence of a transition-metal catalyst, the reaction is called catalytic hydrogenation.
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the surface of...
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...
Hydrogen Bonds00:26

Hydrogen Bonds

Hydrogen BondsHydrogen bonds are weak attractions between atoms that have formed other chemical bonds. One of these atoms is electronegative, like oxygen, and has a partial negative charge. The other is a hydrogen atom that has bonded with another electronegative atom and has a partial positive charge.Hydrogen Bonds Control the World!Because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, electrons in the bond are...
Hydrogen Bonds01:04

Hydrogen Bonds

A hydrogen bond is formed when a weakly positive hydrogen atom already bonded to one electronegative atom (for example, the oxygen in the water molecule) is attracted to another electronegative atom from another polar molecule, such as water (H2O), hydrogen fluoride (HF), or ammonia (NH3). The huge electronegativity difference between the H atom (2.1) and the atom to which it is bonded (4.0 for an F atom, 3.5 for an O atom, or 3.0 for an N atom), combined with the very small size of an H atom...
Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation02:24

Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Introduction
Like alkenes, alkynes can be reduced to alkanes in the presence of transition metal catalysts such as Pt, Pd, or Ni. The reaction involves two sequential syn additions of hydrogen via a cis-alkene intermediate.
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.

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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions
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Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions

Published on: October 5, 2019

Artificial hydrogenases.

Bryan E Barton1, Matthew T Olsen, Thomas B Rauchfuss

  • 1School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States.

Current Opinion in Biotechnology
|April 2, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers are developing artificial hydrogenase (H(2)ase) enzymes inspired by natural catalysts. These bioinspired catalysts aim to efficiently oxidize and reduce H(2) but face challenges with low reactivity.

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A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions
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A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions

Published on: August 17, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Bioinorganic chemistry
  • Enzyme catalysis
  • Bio-inspired materials science

Background:

  • Hydrogenase (H(2)ase) enzymes catalyze hydrogen oxidation and proton reduction.
  • Natural H(2)ases feature iron centers with CO and thiolate ligands.
  • Biophysical studies provide blueprints for synthesizing H(2)ase active site analogs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To guide the synthesis of artificial hydrogenase (H(2)ase) enzyme analogs.
  • To emulate key structural and functional features of natural H(2)ases.
  • To address challenges in biomimetic catalyst reactivity.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesizing artificial catalysts inspired by [FeFe]-, [NiFe]-, and [Fe]-H(2)ases.
  • Incorporating iron centers bound to CO and thiolate ligands.
  • Including amine bases in catalyst design.

Main Results:

  • Development of artificial H(2)ases capable of H(2) oxidation and proton reduction.
  • Reactions proceed via metal hydride intermediates.
  • Bioinspired catalysts incorporate amine bases.

Conclusions:

  • Artificial H(2)ases show promise for H(2) fuel applications.
  • Further research is needed to overcome low reactivity challenges.
  • Bioinspired design strategies are effective for creating functional enzyme mimics.