Unraveling N–O Cleavage and N–H Bond Formation for NO Reduction to NH 3 at a Bimetallic Fe–Mo Site
Abstract
Reductive transformation of nitric oxide (NO) by heme proteins is critical for dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, a microbial nitrogen-conserving process. This study reports the complete reduction of bound NO to NH 3 on a bimetallic FeMo platform through a protonation-hydride reduction strategy. Protonation of the μ-NO group generated a μ-NOH intermediate, which, upon reaction with HBpin, underwent simultaneous N–O bond cleavage and N–H bond formation to give a μ-NH imide. Subsequent transformations among nitride, imide, and amide were achieved via deprotonation/protonation and the additions of hydride, hydrogen atoms, and H 2 provide molecular-level mechanistic insight into ammonia synthesis and nitrogenous-species interconversion.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
Metalloenzymes and iron-sulfur proteins
Environmental remediation with nanomaterials
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Volume
- 148
- Issue
- 25
- Pages
- 25532–25543
- Publication date
- 18 June 2026
- Language
- EN