Fixing nitrogen with iron complexes

Nitrogen redn. to NH_3 is a requisite transformation for life. While it is widely appreciated that the Fe-rich cofactors of nitrogenase enzymes facilitate this transformation, how they do so remains poorly understood. A central element of debate has been the site(s) of dinitrogen coordination and redn. in these cofactors. As Fe is the only transition metal essential to all nitrogenases, prepg. functional nitrogen redn. catalysts that feature iron has been a longstanding goal. In this talk I will discuss our lab's most recent efforts directed towards the prepn. of nitrogen-fixing Fe complexes.