NITROGEN FIXATION

• Atmosphere has 78% N2.

• Atmospheric nitrogen is chemically very stable
due to triple bonds.
• Nitrogen fixation becomes a necessity, to
convert atmospheric N2 into easily available
form
 ROLE OF NITROGEN
• Nitrogen is major component of aminoacids,
proteins, enzymes.
• Very important component of chlorophyll,
cytochrome, alkaloids and vitamins.
 NITROGEN
FIXATION

PHYSICAL CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL

PHYSICAL NITROGEN FIXATION:

lightening, thunder

N2 lightening Oxides of nitrogen rain HNO3 and HNO2

Ca++ and K+

Ca++ and K+

Nitrates
CHEMICAL NITROGEN FIXATION:

Haber’s Process

N2 + 3H2 400-450°C and 200atm/ Fe 2NH3

BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN FIXATION:

N2 nitrogenase NH4 +
 BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN FIXERS

BIOLOGICAL
• Bacteria NITROGEN
FIXATION
• Fungi
• Blue green algae
NON SYMBIOTIC SYMBIOTIC
NITROGENASE COMPLEX
electrons

Nitrogenase
Reductase NH3
Mo Fe protein
Fe protein

ATP ADP
N2 nitrogenase NH4 +
• The reaction is difficult due to N≡N.
• Nitrogenase uses approximately 16 ATP in this
reaction.
 Fe-Protein or REDUCTASE
• The Fe protein, the dinitrogenase
reductase, is a dimer of identical
subunits which contains one
[Fe4S4] cluster.
• It transfer electrons from a
reducing agent, such as
ferredoxin or flavodoxin to the
nitrogenase protein.
• Energy for electron transfer
comes from binding and
hydrolysis of ATP. Binding with
ATP causes conformational
changes in the enzyme.
 NITROGENASE
• A heterodimer of an alpha
and beta subunits. The a
(alpha chain) binds the
8Fe-7S F cluster and the
Fe-S-Mo M cluster. These
subunits comprise the
(di)nitrogenase subunits
 NITROGENASE
• The core (Fe8S7) of the P-cluster takes the
form of two [Fe4S3] cubes linked by a
central carbon atom. Each P-cluster is
covalently linked to the MoFe protein by
six cysteine residues.
• Each FeMo cofactor (Fe7MoS9C) consists
of two non-identical clusters: [Fe4S3] and
[MoFe3S3], which are linked by three
sulfide ions. Each FeMo cofactor is
covalently linked to the α subunit of the
protein by one cysteine residue and one
histidine residue.