The Chemistry of Nitrogen Fixation and Models for The Reactions of Nitrogenase

TLDR: In this article, the chemistry of nitrogen fixation and models for the reactions of nitrogenase are discussed, and the mechanisms of reaction of coordinated dinitrogen are a matter of dispute and there are several proposals extant, chemical and biological, and these are espoused by their progenitors with varying degrees of fervor.

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the chemistry of nitrogen fixation and models for the reactions of nitrogenase The interest in nitrogen fixation for the inorganic chemist is to try to understand, using simple compounds, what nature does so comparatively effortlessly within the enzyme, nitrogenase This is of particular value considering the increasing demand for nitrogenous fertilizers, and the vast industrial expenditure of energy in producing ammonia The literature of chemical nitrogen fixation, even excluding that related to the Haber process, is now considerable The mechanisms of reaction of coordinated dinitrogen are a matter of dispute There are several proposals extant, chemical and biological, and these are espoused by their progenitors with varying degrees of fervor However, there is now sufficient chemistry available for us to make preliminary judgments concerning the validity of the various proposals