Mechanistic Insight into Switching between H2- or O2-Activation by Simple Ligand Effects of [NiFe]hydrogenase Models

We present a mechanistic investigation for the activation of H2 and O2, induced by a simple ligand effect within [NiFe] models for O2-tolerant [NiFe]hydrogenase. Kinetic study reveals Michaelis–Menten type saturation behaviors for both H2 and O2 activation, which is the same behavior as that found in O2-tolerant [NiFe]hydrogenase. Such saturation behavior is caused by H2 complexation followed by heterolytic cleavage of H2 by an outer-sphere base, resulting in the formation of a hydride species showing hydridic character.