Biochemistry of N2 Fixation

The first observations on H2 inhibition were made in the 1930s. It was established that the inhibition was specific (H2 had no effect on growth of the red clover plants 

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We will summarize the status of the biochemistry of N2 fixation, including nitrogenase (N2ase) reactions and characteristics, with exten-... 

Since the definition of the structure of FeMoco, theoretical studies have appeared attempting to identify the manner by which N2 binds to this cluster. The realization that the Mo site within the cluster is 6-coordinate, and therefore could be considered as coordinatively saturated, has led to what may be an overemphasis on looking at the Fe sites as the N2 binding position. The salient features of the five studies reported so far will be discussed briefly, with an emphasis not on the basis of the calculations but the major conclusions of importance in giving an insight into the chemistry and biochemistry of nitrogen fixation. 

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