Nickel model complexes to mimic carbon monoxide dehydrogenase reactions

Area of Science:

• Bioinorganic chemistry
• Organometallic chemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Anaerobic carbon monoxide dehydrogenases (CODHs) feature a Ni/Fe heterobimetallic active site crucial for biological CO2/CO interconversion.
• The three-coordinate nickel site within CODH mediates organometallic C1 interconversion, a process vital for CO2 capture and utilization (CCU).
• Understanding CODH redox and structural changes informs the design of synthetic catalysts for small molecule activation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the coordination environment of the Ni center in CODH.
• To examine bioinorganic Ni model systems providing insight into CODH's CO2/CO interconversion.
• To highlight advances in CODH-inspired catalysis for selective CO2-to-CO conversion.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of CODH active site structure and function.
• Analysis of bioinorganic nickel model systems.
• Survey of recent developments in CODH-inspired catalytic systems.

Main Results:

• The Ni/Fe active site and its coordination environment are key to CODH catalysis.
• Synthetic Ni model complexes mimic aspects of CODH activity.
• CODH-inspired catalysts show promise for selective CO2-to-CO conversion.

Conclusions:

• Studying CODH provides fundamental principles for designing efficient synthetic catalysts.
• Bioinorganic modeling and inspired catalysis are crucial for advancing CCU technologies.
• Further research into CODH chemistry will accelerate the development of novel catalytic solutions.