Ammonia synthesis is one of the most important processes both in nature and industrially, as it provides nitrogen in a chemically accessible form. Industrially, ammonia synthesis is accomplished by the Haber-Bosch process, which needs high temperatures and high pressures. In nature, nitrogen fixation is accomplished by the enzyme nitrogenase, which functions under ambient conditions. A detailed understanding of the mechanism of nitrogenase is therefore desirable, as it may lead to the development of biomimetic catalysts, which may be able to fix nitrogen under mild conditions. A detailed investigation of the structure and mechanism of the enzyme nitrogenase will be presented, and the key points of the mechanism are compared to the Haber-Bosch process. Nitrogenase is also able to catalyze hydrogen evolution and this will be discussed as well. Futhermore, it will be shown how nitrogenase can serve as an inspiration for developing new fuel cell catalysts for hydrogen evolution.

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