Enzyme structure reveals key ingredients for making hydrogen
July 25, 2008 | Source: Nature News
Max Planck Institute researchers have figured out the detailed structure of[Fe] hydrogenase, an enzyme used by hydrothermal vent microbes to process hydrogen.
By knowing the structure of this enzyme’s active site, chemists will have new clues on how to build inexpensive synthetic catalysts for hydrogen-based energy.
Currently, the best synthetic catalysts use platinum to make and release hydrogen’s stored energy. Natural organisms use iron.