Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Nitrogen activation

An iron step towards N2 fixation

Subjects

The catalytic reduction of atmospheric N2 to NH3 under mild conditions is one of the challenges of organometallic chemistry. An iron-based complex that binds and activates N2 has now been developed. Its electrochemistry and coordination properties shed light on potential mechanisms by which N2-to-NH3 reduction might be achieved.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: SiPR3 complexes of iron bind nitrogen and ammonia.

References

  1. Rees, D. C. et al. Philos. Tr. R. Soc. S-A 363, 971–984 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Seefeldt, L. C., Hoffman, B. M. & Dean, D. R. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 78, 701–722 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bishop, P. E. & Joerger, R. D. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 41, 109–125 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Dance, I. G. Dalton Trans. 5977–5991 (2008).

  5. Yandulov, D. V. & Schrock, R. R. Science 301, 76–78 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Pool, J. A., Lobkovsky, E. & Chirik, P. J. Nature 427, 527–530 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Leigh, G. J. The World's Greatest Fix (Oxford Univ. Press, 2004).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Lee, Y., Mankad, N. P. & Peters, J. C. Nature Chem. 2, 558–565 10.1038/nchem.660(2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Betley, T. A. & Peters, J. C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125, 10782–10783 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Barney, B. M. et al. Biochemistry 46, 6784–6794 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Field, L. An iron step towards N2 fixation. Nature Chem 2, 520–521 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.690

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.690

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing