The biochemistry of methanogenesis involves the following coenzymes and cofactors: F420, coenzyme B, coenzyme M, methanofuran, and methanopterin.
The mechanism for the conversion of  bond into methane involves a ternary complex of methyl coenzyme M and coenzyme B fit into a channel terminated by the axial site on nickel of the cofactor F430.  One proposed mechanism invokes electron transfer from Ni(I) (to give Ni(II)), which initiates formation of .  Coupling of the coenzyme M thiyl radical (RS) with HS coenzyme B releases a proton and re-reduces Ni(II) by one-electron, regenerating Ni(I).