A Nitrogen Pressure of 50 Atmospheres Does Not Prevent Evolution of Hydrogen by Nitrogenase

The effect of a partial pressure of nitrogen of 50 atmospheres (5065 kilopascals ) on the hydrogen evolution reaction of nitrogenase has been investigated. Evolution of hydrogen was not blocked completely by 50 atmospheres of nitrogen in any of four experiments; rather, 27.3 +/- 2.4 percent of the total electron flux through nitrogenase was directed toward production of hydrogen. The ratio of hydrogen evolved to nitrogen fixed was close to 1:1, which implies that hydrogen evolution is obligatory in the fixation of molecular nitrogen by nitrogenase.