Disclosure of key stereoelectronic factors for efficient H2 binding and cleavage in the active site of [NiFe]-hydrogenases

A comparative analysis of a series of DFT models of [NiFe]-hydrogenases, ranging from minimal NiFe clusters to very large systems including both the first and second coordination sphere of the bimetallic cofactor, was carried out with the aim of unraveling which stereoelectronic properties of the active site of [NiFe]-hydrogenases are crucial for efficient H2 binding and cleavage. H2 binding to the Ni-SIa redox state is energetically favored (by 4.0 kcal mol-1) only when H2 binds to Ni, the NiFe metal cluster is in a low spin state, and the Ni cysteine ligands have a peculiar seesaw coordination geometry, which in the enzyme is stabilized by the protein environment. The influence of the Ni coordination geometry on the H2 binding affinity was then quantitatively evaluated and rationalized analyzing frontier molecular orbitals and populations. Several plausible reaction pathways leading to H2 cleavage were also studied. It turned out that a two-step pathway, where H2 cleavage takes place on the Ni-SIa redox state of the enzyme, is characterized by very low reaction barriers and favorable reaction energies. More importantly, the seesaw coordination geometry of Ni was found to be a key feature for facile H2 cleavage. The discovery of the crucial influence of the Ni coordination geometry on H2 binding and activation in the active site of [NiFe]-hydrogenases could be exploited in the design of novel biomimetic synthetic catalysts. © 2014 American Chemical Society.