Cubane-type Fe4S4 clusters with chiral thiolate ligation: formation by ligand substitution, detection of intermediates by 1H NMR, and solid state structures including spontaneous resolution upon crystallization

Progress in Synthesizing Analogues of Nitrogenase Metalloclusters for Catalytic Reduction of Nitrogen to Ammonia

Ammonia (NH3) has played an essential role in meeting the increasing demand for food and the worldwide need for nitrogen (N2) fertilizer since 1913. Unfortunately, the traditional Haber–Bosch process for producing NH3 from N2 is a high energy-consumption process with approximately 1.9 metric tons of fossil CO2 being released per metric ton of NH3 produced. As a very challenging target, any ideal NH3 production process reducing fossil energy consumption and environmental pollution would be welcomed. Catalytic NH3 synthesis is an attractive and promising alternative approach. Therefore, developing efficient catalysts for synthesizing NH3 from N2 under ambient conditions would create a significant opportunity to directly provide nitrogenous fertilizers in agricultural fields as needed in a distributed manner. In this paper, the literature on alternative, available, and sustainable NH3 production processes in terms of the scientific aspects of the spatial structures of nitrogenase metalloclusters, the mechanism of reducing N2 to NH3 catalyzed by nitrogenase, the synthetic analogues of nitrogenase metalloclusters, and the opportunities for continued research are reviewed.

Polymers Based on Cyclic Carbonates as Trait d'Union Between Polymer Chemistry and Sustainable CO2 Utilization

Given the large amount of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, it is advantageous to use CO₂ as feedstock for the fabrication of everyday products, such as fuels and materials. An attractive way to use CO₂ in the synthesis of polymers is by the formation of five-membered cyclic organic carbonate monomers (5CCs). The sustainability of this synthetic approach is increased by using scaffolds prepared from renewable resources. Indeed, recent years have seen the rise of various types of carbonate syntheses and applications. 5CC monomers are often polymerized with diamines to yield polyhydroxyurethanes (PHU). Foams are developed from this type of polymers; moreover, the additional hydroxyl groups in PHU, absent in classical polyurethanes, lead to coatings with excellent adhesive properties. Furthermore, carbonate groups in polymers offer the possibility of post-functionalization, such as curing reactions under mild conditions. Finally, the polarity of carbonate groups is remarkably high, so polymers with carbonates side-chains can be used as polymer electrolytes in batteries or as conductive membranes. The target of this Review is to highlight the multiple opportunities offered by polymers prepared from and/or containing 5CCs. Firstly, the preparation of several classes of 5CCs is discussed with special focus on the sustainability of the synthetic routes. Thereafter, specific classes of polymers are discussed for which the use and/or presence of carbonate moieties is crucial to impart the targeted properties (foams, adhesives, polymers for energy applications, and other functional materials).

Phase and redox shifted four iron/four sulfur clusters: fluorous analogs of metalloenzyme cofactors

Reactions of (1) [Q]2[Fe4S4(SC(CH3)3)4] and the fluorous thiols HS(CH2)nRf8 (n = 2, 3; Rf8 = (CF2)7CF3)), or (2) [Na]2[Fe4S4(S(CH2)nRf8)4] (n = 2, 3) and [PhCH2P((CH2)3Rf6)3][Br] or [PPN][Cl] (PPN = Ph3P[horiz bar, triple dot above]N[horiz bar, triple dot above]PPh3), give the title compounds [Q]2[Fe4S4(S(CH2)nRf8)4], comprised of a fluorous dianion and in some cases fluorous cations, with (1) Q/n = Ph4P/2 (, 67%), Ph4P/3 (, 67%), Me4N/3 (69%), and Ph3P(CH2)2Rf6/2 (73%) or (2) PhCH2P((CH2)3Rf6)3/2 (, 39%), PhCH2P((CH2)3Rf6)3/3 (, 63%), and PPN/2 (36%). The educt [Ph3P(CH2)2Rf6]2[Fe4S4(SC(CH3)3)4] is in turn prepared from FeCl3, HSC(CH3)3/CH3ONa, and [Ph3P(CH2)2Rf6][I], and the educts [Na]2[Fe4S4(S(CH2)nRf8)4] from [Na]2[Fe4S4(SC(CH3)3)4] and HS(CH2)nRf8. The SCH2(1)H and (13)C NMR signals of these paramagnetic salts appear 8.7-10.3 and 32.3-34.9 ppm downfield from those of the corresponding thiols, but the chemical shifts of other signals are nearly normal. The UV-visible spectra show bands similar to those of non-fluorous analogs (290-298 nm and 406-415 nm; ε = 25 700 and 19 200 M(-1) cm(-1) for ). The singly fluorous salts are soluble in organic solvents of moderate polarity, but not in fluorous solvents. The doubly fluorous salts , are soluble in all fluorous solvents assayed, with partition coefficients of >99.65 : <0.35 (CF3C6F11/toluene) and 93.2-93.1 : 6.9-6.8 (FC-72/THF). Cyclic voltammograms carried out using a platinum working microelectrode show that is 0.08 V thermodynamically easier to reduce than .

The discovery of Mo(III) in FeMoco: reuniting enzyme and model chemistry

Biological nitrogen fixation is enabled by molybdenum-dependent nitrogenase enzymes, which effect the reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia using an Fe₇MoS₉C active site, referred to as the iron molybdenum cofactor or FeMoco. In this mini-review, we summarize the current understanding of the molecular and electronic structure of FeMoco. The advances in our understanding of the active site structure are placed in context with the parallel evolution of synthetic model studies. The recent discovery of Mo(III) in the FeMoco active site is highlighted with an emphasis placed on the important role that model studies have played in this finding. In addition, the reactivities of synthetic models are discussed in terms of their relevance to the enzymatic system.