Synthesis of Biomimetic Analogs of RuBisCo

Overconsumption of fossil fuels paired with CO₂ emission is becoming a topic of interest for the scientific community. There is widespread concern that the increasing concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere will have a deleterious effect on the environment and cause both rises in sea levels and changes in precipitation patterns. The production of fuel using CO₂ as a feedstock is a way to address the need for alternative forms of fuel, while reducing atmospheric CO₂ levels. The Calvin Cycle in plants serves as an excellent example of the proposed fuel production. Readily available CO₂ in the atmosphere is incorporated into Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate by an enzyme known as Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase (RuBisCo), to produce fuel in the form of sugars and O₂. Studies investigating RuBisCo’s structure have shown that the active site of this enzyme contains a Mg²⁺ core bound by the side chain of three amino acids. In this study we will synthesize a biomimetic analog of the active site of RuBisCo to incorporate into a photovoltaic cell that will utilize atmospheric CO₂ to produce hydrocarbon fuels. The proposed system will help to reduce the levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere while providing alternate forms of energy.

            As of today we are working towards the synthesis of tridentate ligands that will exhibit the same stabilization properties as the amino acids bound to the Magnesium active site of RuBisCo.