Discovery of the Reduced Form of Methylviologen Activating Formate Dehydrogenase in the Catalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Formic Acid

The kinetic properties of the conversion of CO2 to formic acid with formate dehydrogenase (FDH) using dithionite-reduced methylviologen as an artificial coenzyme were studied. The catalytic production of CO2 from formic acid by FDH was suppressed using methylviologen as an artificial coenzyme. In contrast, compared to the natural coenzyme NADH, dithionite-reduced methylviologen was a more effective coenzyme in the conversion of CO2 to formic acid with FDH.