Formate Dehydrogenases Reduce CO<sub>2</sub> Rather than HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>: An Electrochemical Demonstration
Marta Meneghello, Ana Rita Oliveira, Aurore Jacq‐Bailly, Inês A. C. Pereira, Christophe Léger, Vincent Fourmond
Abstract
Abstract Mo/W formate dehydrogenases catalyze the reversible reduction of CO 2 species to formate. It is thought that the substrate is CO 2 and not a hydrated species like HCO 3 − , but there is still no indisputable evidence for this, in spite of the extreme importance of the nature of the substrate for mechanistic studies. We devised a simple electrochemical method to definitively demonstrate that the substrate of formate dehydrogenases is indeed CO 2 .
Topics & Concepts
FormateElectrochemistryChemistrySubstrate (aquarium)Formate dehydrogenaseInorganic chemistryCombinatorial chemistryCatalysisOrganic chemistryElectrodePhysical chemistryGeologyOceanographyCO2 Reduction Techniques and CatalystsMetalloenzymes and iron-sulfur proteinsCarbon dioxide utilization in catalysis