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A Possible Prebiotic Formation of Ammonia from Dinitrogen on Iron Sulfide Surfaces
Author(s) -
Dörr Mark,
Käßbohrer Johannes,
Grunert Renate,
Kreisel Günter,
Brand Willi A.,
Werner Roland A.,
Geilmann Heike,
Apfel Christina,
Robl Christian,
Weigand Wolfgang
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.200250371
Subject(s) - nitrogenase , chemistry , hydrogen sulfide , sulfide , ammonia , nitrogen fixation , prebiotic , nitrogen , inorganic chemistry , ammonia production , iron sulfide , sulfur , organic chemistry , biochemistry
Teaching an old dog a new fix : Nitrogen fixation under mild conditions is still one of the most challenging tasks in chemistry. A method for the synthesis of ammonia from molecular nitrogen using hydrogen sulfide as a reductant and freshly precipitated iron sulfide as a mediator is described. The reaction (see scheme) may be a primordial inorganic ancestor of the enzyme nitrogenase.