Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Aldehydes and Ketones to Alkanes: Wolff–Kishner Reduction01:09

Aldehydes and Ketones to Alkanes: Wolff–Kishner Reduction

Wolff–Kishner reduction involves converting aldehydes and ketones to alkanes using hydrazine and a base. The reaction converts a carbonyl group to a methylene group. The method was independently discovered by N. Kishner in 1911 and L. Wolff in 1912. The reduction is carried out in high-boiling solvents such as ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol because heat is required to deprotonate the N–H proton in one of the reaction steps.
Reduction of Benzene to Cyclohexane: Catalytic Hydrogenation01:28

Reduction of Benzene to Cyclohexane: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Unlike the easy catalytic hydrogenation of an alkene double bond, hydrogenation of a benzene double bond under similar reaction conditions does not take place easily. For example, in the reduction of stilbene, the benzene ring remains unaffected while the alkene bond gets reduced. Hydrogenation of an alkene double bond is exothermic and a favorable process. In contrast, to hydrogenate the first unsaturated bond of benzene, an energy input is needed; that is, the process is endothermic. This is...
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...
Preparation of Amines: Reduction of Oximes and Nitro Compounds01:29

Preparation of Amines: Reduction of Oximes and Nitro Compounds

Oximes can be reduced to primary amines using catalytic hydrogenation, hydride reduction, or sodium metal reduction. The reduction of aliphatic and aromatic nitro compounds to primary amines takes place by either catalytic hydrogenation or by using active metals like Fe, Zn, and Sn in the presence of an acid.
Though catalytic hydrogenation can reduce nitrobenzenes, the reduction is nonselective in the presence of other functional groups. For instance, if nitrobenzene contains an aldehyde group,...
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...
Nitriles to Amines: LiAlH4 Reduction00:55

Nitriles to Amines: LiAlH4 Reduction

Nitriles are reduced to amines in the presence of strong reducing agents like lithium aluminum hydride through a typical nucleophilic acyl substitution. The reaction requires two equivalents of the reducing agent. The reducing agent acts as a source of hydride ions.
As shown below, the mechanism involves three steps. Firstly, the hydride ion acting as a nucleophile attacks the nitrile carbon to form an anion. In the second step, a second equivalent of the hydride ion attacks the anion to...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

S 2B or not 2B?

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2025
Same author

Deserts, Rivers, Pools, and Billabongs: Water Features of the Nitrogenase Proteins, and their Functions.

Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology·2025
Same author

The mechanism of nitrogenase: formation and release of the second NH<sub>3</sub> and completion of the cycle.

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2025
Same author

Understanding non-reducible N<sub>2</sub> in the mechanism of Mo-nitrogenase.

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2025
Same author

The mechanism of Mo-nitrogenase: from N<sub>2</sub> capture to first release of NH<sub>3</sub>.

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2024
Same author

The activating capture of N<sub>2</sub> at the active site of Mo-nitrogenase.

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

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

How does vanadium nitrogenase reduce CO to hydrocarbons?

Ian Dance1

  • 1School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia. i.dance@unsw.edu.au

Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
|April 14, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Vanadium-nitrogenase uniquely reduces carbon monoxide (CO) to hydrocarbons, unlike molybdenum-nitrogenase. Density functional simulations reveal a feasible mechanism involving intramolecular hydrogenation and C-C bond formation within the iron-vanadium cofactor.

More Related Videos

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
10:57

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Published on: April 10, 2018

Chemical Vapor Deposition of an Organic Magnet, Vanadium Tetracyanoethylene
08:25

Chemical Vapor Deposition of an Organic Magnet, Vanadium Tetracyanoethylene

Published on: July 3, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

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

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
10:57

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Published on: April 10, 2018

Chemical Vapor Deposition of an Organic Magnet, Vanadium Tetracyanoethylene
08:25

Chemical Vapor Deposition of an Organic Magnet, Vanadium Tetracyanoethylene

Published on: July 3, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Computational Chemistry
  • Enzymology

Background:

  • Molybdenum-nitrogenase enzymes typically convert N(2) to NH(3) and are inhibited by CO.
  • Vanadium-nitrogenase exhibits an unusual ability to reduce CO into various hydrocarbons.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism behind vanadium-nitrogenase's unprecedented reduction of carbon monoxide (CO) to hydrocarbons.
  • To explore the role of the iron-vanadium cofactor (FeV-co) in this catalytic process.

Main Methods:

  • Density functional theory (DFT) simulations were employed.
  • The study focused on the protein-bound iron-vanadium cofactor (FeV-co) [NFe(7)VS(9)(homocitrate)].
  • Interactions with cysteine and histidine residues were considered.

Main Results:

  • The intramolecular hydrogenation machinery, previously proposed for N(2) reduction, is also capable of reducing CO.
  • Feasible reaction steps include CO binding, sequential hydrogenations (HCO, HCOH, H(2)COH), water elimination, and C-C bond formation.
  • Intermediate organic fragments can migrate within the FeV-co active site, stabilized by hydrogen bonding.

Conclusions:

  • The mechanism for CO reduction by vanadium-nitrogenase is elucidated through computational simulations.
  • The unique activity of vanadium-nitrogenase compared to molybdenum-nitrogenase may stem from its surrounding protein environment.
  • Exogenous protonation and dehydration of intermediates are facilitated by the protein environment, potentially involving water associated with homocitrate.