Molybdenum Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase

The conversion of carbon sources such as coal and methane into liquid fuels, methanol and alkanes, the latter via the Fisher-Tropsch process, requires careful control of the H2/CO ratio in synthesis gas. 1 The control is achieved in industry by the water-gas shift reaction. (Figure 1). 2 The study of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) enzymes is significant to the water gas shift reaction because such enzymes perform a similar reaction but under ambient conditions and with a high turnover (Eqn. 1). There are two types of CODH enzymes. A nickel-containing CODH, also rich in iron and sulfur, is found in anaerobic organisms; a molybdenum-containing CODH is found in aerobic organisms. These organisms use carbon monoxide as their sole source of carbon. The CODH enzymes are an important part of the global carbon cycle because they metabolize 20% of the total carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, which significantly regulates the carbon monoxide content. 3-6 My lecture will focus on the molybdenum carbon monoxide dehydrogenase and studies that have been done to gain further knowledge within this area.