Publications Details
Investigation of fuel production using metalloporphyrin-based complexes as catalysts and electron-transfer intermediates: Annual report, April 1987--December 1988
Metalloporphyrins have appropriate properties for photosensitizing and catalysts solar energy storage reactions. Fundamental spectroscopic studies of metalloporphyrins and related enzymes that carry out C/sub 1/ chemistry can identify the factors controlling reactivity of the metal complexes. Research has concentrated on mimicking biological methanogenesis through investigation of the enzyme methylreductase, which carries out the final step in the reduction of Co/sub 2/ to methane. Transient and difference Raman spectroscopies were used to investigate the structural features of methylreductase, its nickel-hydrocorphin Cofactor F/sub 430/, and hydrocorphin and porphrin analogs of the active nickel complex. in particular, axial ligation at the nickel site was evaluated under a variety of conditions with the goal of elucidating the mechanism of methane synthesis. Studies of the tin-and antimony-porphyrin photoredox cycles were also carried out as possible solar-driven sources of reductant for biomimetic methane generation. 1 ref., 1 fig.