Synthetic inorganic and bioinorganic chemistry

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The bacterial conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia is critical in making nitrogen chemically available to life on Earth.  It is a reaction of truly global significance.  The microbes use the nitrogenase enzyme to carry out this chemistry.  An unusual cluster of iron, sulfur, molybdenum, and nitrogen atoms is the site of reactivity within the enzyme.  How the cluster works is a mystery. We propose a research program that investigates some of this mystery.  Computer models suggest that interactions between iron and nitrogen atoms are at the heart of nitrogenase activity; such chemistry, however, has little precedent.  We want to develop and study these interactions in controlled synthetic systems in order to learn their fundamental properties.  We can then apply this basic knowledge towards analyzing and understanding the biological process. In the near-term, the results from our program will advance our understanding of fundamental inorganic and biological chemistry.  From a longer perspective, insights from this research have the potential to improve the efficiency and capabilities of economically-significant industrial chemical processes.  Students trained in this field will acquire a broad scientific research background with experience in a range of chemical and physical techniques; these qualifications will be valuable for their future industrial or academic contributions to the national scientific/technical infrastructure.