Yang Dawei, Wang Baomin, Qu Jingping
State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontier Science Center for Smart Materials, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China.
State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Biomanufacturing, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China.
Acc Chem Res. 2024 Jul 2;57(13):1761-1776. doi: 10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00068. Epub 2024 Jun 11.
ConspectusBiological nitrogen fixation mediated by nitrogenases has garnered significant research interest due to its critical importance to the development of efficient catalysts for mild ammonia synthesis. Although the active center of the most studied FeMo-nitrogenases has been determined to be a complicated [FeSMoC] hetero-multinuclear metal-sulfur cluster known as the FeMo-cofactor, the exact binding site and reduction pathway of N remain a subject of debate. Over the past decades, the majority of studies have focused on mononuclear molybdenum or iron centers as potential reaction sites. In stark contrast, cooperative activation of N through bi- or multimetallic centers has been largely overlooked and underexplored, despite the renewed interest sparked by recent biochemical and computational studies. Consequently, constructing bioinspired bi- or multinuclear metallic model complexes presents an intriguing yet challenging prospect. In this Account, we detail our long-standing research on the design and synthesis of novel thiolate-bridged diiron complexes as nitrogenase models and their application to chemical simulations of potential biological N reduction pathways.Inspired by the structural and electronic features of the potential diiron active center in the belt region of the FeMo-cofactor, we have designed and synthesized a series of new thiolate-bridged diiron nitrogenase model complexes, wherein iron centers with +2 or +3 oxidation states are coordinated by Cp* as carbon-based donors and thiolate ligands as sulfur donors. Through the synergistic interaction between the two iron centers, unstable diazene (NH═NH) species can be trapped to generate the first example of a [FeS]-type complex bearing a -μ-η:η-NH═NH subunit. Significantly, this species can not only catalyze the reductive N-N bond cleavage of hydrazine to ammonia but also trigger a stepwise reduction sequence NH═NH → [NH-NH] → NH → [NH] → NH. Furthermore, an unprecedented thiolate-bridged diiron μ-nitride featuring a bent Fe-N-Fe moiety was successfully isolated and structurally characterized. Importantly, this diiron μ-nitride can undergo successive proton-coupled electron transfer processes to efficiently release ammonia in the presence of separate protons and electrons and can even be directly hydrogenated using H as a combination of protons and electrons for high-yield ammonia formation. Based on combined experimental and computational studies, we proposed two distinct reductive transformation sequences on the diiron centers, which involve a series of crucial NH intermediates. Moreover, we also achieved catalytic N reduction to silylamines with [FeS]-type complexes by ligand modulation.Our bioinspired diiron cooperative scaffold may provide a suitable model for probing the potential N stepwise reduction pathways from the molecular level. Different from the traditional alternating and distal pathways dominated by mononuclear iron or molybdenum complexes, our proposed alternating transformation route based on the diiron centers may not involve the NH intermediate, and the convergence point of the alternating and terminal pathways is imide, not amide. Our research strategy could inform the design and development of new types of bioinspired catalysts for mild and efficient nitrogen reduction in the future.
概述
固氮酶介导的生物固氮因其对温和合成氨高效催化剂开发的至关重要性而引起了广泛的研究兴趣。尽管研究最多的铁钼固氮酶的活性中心已被确定为一种复杂的[FeSMoC]异多核金属硫簇,即铁钼辅因子,但N的确切结合位点和还原途径仍存在争议。在过去几十年中,大多数研究集中在单核钼或铁中心作为潜在反应位点。与之形成鲜明对比的是,尽管最近的生化和计算研究重新引发了人们的兴趣,但通过双金属或多金属中心对N的协同活化在很大程度上被忽视和研究不足。因此,构建受生物启发的双金属或多核金属模型配合物呈现出一个有趣但具有挑战性的前景。在本综述中,我们详细介绍了我们长期以来对新型硫醇盐桥连二铁配合物作为固氮酶模型的设计与合成及其在潜在生物N还原途径化学模拟中的应用。
受铁钼辅因子带区潜在二铁活性中心的结构和电子特征启发,我们设计并合成了一系列新型硫醇盐桥连二铁固氮酶模型配合物,其中氧化态为 +2 或 +3 的铁中心由作为碳基供体的 Cp* 和作为硫供体的硫醇盐配体配位。通过两个铁中心之间的协同相互作用,可以捕获不稳定的重氮烯(NH═NH)物种,生成第一个带有 -μ-η:η-NH═NH 亚基的 [FeS] 型配合物。值得注意的是,该物种不仅可以催化肼的还原 N-N 键裂解为氨,还可以引发逐步还原序列 NH═NH → [NH-NH] → NH → [NH] → NH。此外,成功分离并对一种前所未有的具有弯曲 Fe-N-Fe 部分的硫醇盐桥连二铁 μ-氮化物进行了结构表征。重要的是,这种二铁 μ-氮化物可以在存在单独的质子和电子的情况下经历连续的质子耦合电子转移过程以有效释放氨,甚至可以使用 H 作为质子和电子的组合直接氢化以高产率形成氨。基于实验和计算相结合的研究,我们在二铁中心提出了两个不同的还原转化序列,其中涉及一系列关键的 NH 中间体。此外,我们还通过配体调节实现了用 [FeS] 型配合物催化 N 还原为硅胺。
我们受生物启发的二铁协同支架可能为从分子水平探索潜在的 N 逐步还原途径提供一个合适的模型。与由单核铁或钼配合物主导的传统交替和远端途径不同,我们基于二铁中心提出的交替转化途径可能不涉及 NH 中间体,并且交替和终端途径的汇聚点是酰亚胺,而不是酰胺。我们的研究策略可为未来设计和开发用于温和高效氮还原的新型受生物启发的催化剂提供参考。