Heterolytic Cleavage to Give Metal-Hydrides

Fig. 10. Hypothetical reaction cycle for D. gigas hydrogenase, based on the EPR and redox properties of the nickel (Table II). Only the nickel center and one [4Fe-4S] cluster are shown. Step 1 enzyme, in the activated conformation and Ni(II) oxidation state, causes heterolytic cleavage of H2 to produce a Ni(II) hydride and a proton which might be associated with a ligand to the nickel or another base in the vicinity of the metal site. Step 2 intramolecular electron transfer to the iron-sulfur cluster produces a protonated Ni(I) site (giving the Ni-C signal). An alternative formulation of this species would be Ni(III) - H2. Step 3 reoxidation of the iron-sulfur cluster and release of a proton. Step 4 reoxidation of Ni and release of the other proton.

Chloro complexes of ruthenium(II) were found to hydrogenate maleic and fumaric adds to succinic add slowly at 60-80 °C and normal pressure of hydrogen. Non-activated alkenes lead to the production of ruthenium metal. The structures of the species involved are unknown. The mechanism involves coordination of the alkene followed by heterolytic cleavage of hydrogen, giving a ruthenium(II) hydride as the second step.41... 

Intermolecular heterolytic cleavage involves proton transfer to an external base to give a metal hydride (H- fragment) and the conjugate acid of the base, HB+. This... 

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