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Electron Flow And Management In Living Systems: Advancing Understanding Of Electron Transfer To Nitrogenase, Rhesa N. Ledbetter
Electron Flow And Management In Living Systems: Advancing Understanding Of Electron Transfer To Nitrogenase, Rhesa N. Ledbetter
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Nitrogen is a critical nutrient for growth and reproduction in living organisms. Although the Earth's atmosphere is composed of ~80% nitrogen gas (N2), it is inaccessible to most living organisms in that form. Biological nitrogen fixation, however, can be performed by microbes that harbor the enzyme nitrogenase. This enzyme converts N2 into bioavailable ammonia (NH3) and accounts for at least half of the "fixed" nitrogen on the planet. The other major contributor to ammonia production is the industrial Haber-Bosch process. While the Haber-Bosch process has made significant advances in sustaining the global food supply through …