Research Results
Aug 20, 2016
- Press Release
- Research Paper
- Paper / PressRelease
Press Release Issued on Research Results by Prof. Yutaka Amao and His Group
Successful Development of a Molecule That Improves Enzyme-Catalyzed Conversion Efficiency for Producing Formic Acid from Carbon Dioxide by Approx. 560 Times
This research was featured in the following media outlets:
- August 23: The Chemical Daily
- August 25: The Asahi Shimbun
- September 5: The Nikkei
Yutaka Amao （Professor, Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis) and Shusaku Ikeyama (Doctoral student, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University) have successfully developed an artificial coenzyme molecule. When converting carbon dioxide into formic acid, this molecule improves activity levels by approximately 560 times compared to when using natural coenzymes.
Research Overview
The development of effective catalysts is recognized as a key essential technology for creating artificial photosynthetic systems that utilize solar energy to convert carbon dioxide into organic molecules.
In this study, we have successfully developed an artificial coenzyme with a simple chemical structure. This coenzyme drastically improves the activity of "formate dehydrogenase"—a catalyst that accelerates the reaction that converts carbon dioxide into formic acid, which serves as a fuel, chemical product, and energy storage medium.
To produce formic acid from carbon dioxide using formate dehydrogenase, molecules called coenzymes are indispensable. Previous studies have demonstrated that utilizing artificial coenzymes, such as methyl viologen*1 or diquat*2, achieves a significantly higher level of activity than when using natural coenzymes.
*1： http://www.osaka-cu.ac.jp/ja/news/2015/81sxi
*2： http://www.osaka-cu.ac.jp/ja/news/2016/160805
In this study, we synthesized a new molecule by introducing two amino groups (-NH2) into the chemical structure of viologen. By employing this molecule as an artificial coenzyme, we have successfully achieved a 560-fold increase in activity compared to using natural coenzymes, breaking our previous record.
These findings are expected to contribute significantly to the future design and development of catalysts for realizing artificial photosynthetic systems that convert carbon dioxide into organic molecules.
Publication Information
| Journal: | Chemistry Letters |
|---|---|
| Paper Title: | "Novel artificial co-enzyme based on the viologen derivative for CO2 reduction biocatalyst formate dehydrogenase" |
| Authors: | Shusaku Ikeyama and Yutaka Amao |
| URL: | http://www.journal.csj.jp/toc/cl/0/0 *1 : his paper will be fast-tracked for online publication as an "Advance Publication" in its unedited, uncorrected form. |