Scientists discover channel used by catalyst to produce ammonia, vital for food and fuel crops

(Phys.org) —Mother Nature's helper in turning nitrogen from the air into ammonia is an enzyme called nitrogenase that uses molybdenum and iron; scientists want to learn natural catalyst's secrets and apply them to synthetic catalysts. To do so, they first need to know how the nitrogen gas reaches the heart of the catalyst. While scientists have posited long, convoluted routes, a team from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Utah State University discovered the actual channel the nitrogen uses. It is short and direct. They discovered the channel by identifying groups of proteins on the catalyst's surface that guard access to the metal atoms, twisting aside to allow nitrogen in.

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