The Hydricity and Reactivity Relationship in [ FeFe ]-hydrogenases

Abstract Reactivity of transition metal catalysts is controlled by covalent and non-covalent interactions that tune thermodynamic properties including hydricity. Hydricity is critical to catalytic activity and for modulating the reduction or oxidation of chemical compounds. Likewise, enzymes can employ transition metal cofactors and use metal-hydride intermediates tuned by protein frameworks to selectively control reactivity. One example, the [FeFe]-hydrogenases, catalyze reversible H2 activation with H2 oxidation to H+ reduction ratios spanning ~107 in rate, offering a model to determine the extent that hydricity controls reactivity. To address this question, the hydricity of the catalytic H cluster of two [FeFe]-hydrogenases, CpI and CpII, were compared. We show that for CpI, the higher rates of H+ reduction correspond to a more hydridic H cluster, whereas CpII, which strongly favors H2 oxidation, has a less hydridic H cluster. The results demonstrate that enzymes manipulate metal cofactor hydricity to enable an extraordinary range of chemical reactivity.