Lewis acid-mediated controlled release of a cationic organopalladium(II) intermediate enables transmetalation in a Pd-catalysed Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of organohalides with organoborons. This approach avoids alkaline conditions, which cause competitive undesired protodeborylation and make substrates with base-sensitive moieties compatible.

See Niwa et al.

The global race to reduce carbon emissions was given a legal framework five years ago with the enactment of the Paris Agreement. This Focus issue provides an overview of CO2-to-fuels catalysis as a means of contributing towards net-zero.

The cover image comes from a Perspective Article by Chengxiang Xiang, David Vermaas, Harry Atwater and colleagues. It outlines strategies for the synergistic coupling of CO2 capture and electrocatalytic conversion processes.

Cu atoms and small clusters, dispersed on and interacting with the surface of a partially reduced Mo-based MXene (Cu/Mo2CT x ), hydrogenate CO2 to methanol with a higher intrinsic formation rate per mass Cu than reference catalysts with supported Cu nanoparticles. The improvement in catalytic performance is enabled by the interface and interaction between Cu and Mo2CT x .

See Zhou et al.

The creation of artificial organelles for diverse applications as molecular implants has gained widespread attention. However, the materials commonly used as compartments showlimitationsin terms of cellular delivery, cellular uptake, stability, biocompatibility or biodegradability. Now, Yoon-Kyoung Cho and co-workers show that exosomes can be fused in a controllable fashion providing promising compartments based on natural components to run confined biocatalytic cascades within cells.

See Kumar et al.

Metal cations are known to influence the performance of the electrochemical reduction of CO2, but their specific role is still unclear. Here, Marc Koper and co-workers investigate the role of alkali cations in CO2 electroreduction onAu, Ag and Cu electrodes with and without metal cations. Based on their results using electrochemical measurements, scanning electrochemical microscopy in the surface-generation tip-collection mode and ab initio molecular dynamics, the authors find that the reaction does not take place without a metal cation.

See Monteiro et al.

The application of zeolites to prevent serious blood loss and death from haemorrhagic shocks has gained increasing attention. Here, Kenneth A. Dawson, Jie Fan and co-workers investigate the mode of action that zeolites use to initiate blood clotting at the molecular level. These insights provide a model of the zeolite-specific coagulation pathway, in which the evolving bio-zeolite interface activates and regulates the zymogen (prothrombin) in a way that enhances proteolytic activity.

See Shang et al.

Electrocatalysts with complex morphologies often exhibit high catalytic performance, in part because of their roughness and larger concentration of sites with high intrinsic activity. However, they typically suffer from low stability and are prone to reconstruct under turnover conditions. Here, Klinkova and co-workers provide an exhaustive investigation on the structural stability of such materials, and conclude that both electrochemical and electrical effects induce atomic migration that result in their morphological transformation.

See Li et al.

Simultaneously expanding the scope of electrophiles and nucleophiles for hydroamination reactions catalysed by ammonia lyases is a formidable challenge that requires a thorough reconstruction of the protein’s active site. Here, Cui et al. use a mechanism-based computational strategy to redesign the enzyme, generating a versatile hydroamination biocatalyst for C–N bond formation and demonstrating its synthetic value in the preparation of a wide range of aliphatic, aromatic and charged non-natural amino acids.

See Cui et al.

The hydrodeoxygenation of phenols is a crucial transformation for the valorization of bio-based chemicals. Here, Jin et al. report an Al(PO3)3-supported Pt catalyst characterized by a remarkable activity for this reaction under relatively mild conditions. Cooperation between the support and metal nanoparticles is crucial for the performance of this system.

See Jin et al.

Electrocatalysts, particularly those for water oxidation, often experience substantial or at least partial reconstruction. Here, Wang et al. are able to control surface reconstruction using a cationic redox-tuning method on layered LiCoO2–xClx catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction. The resulting optimized catalyst exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance in alkaline electrolyte.

See Wang et al.

While computer-aided synthesis planning tools for organic chemistry are popular, they are usually lacking enzymatic options. Here, Finnigan et al. present RetroBioCat, an open access program that supports wet-lab scientists by offering tools for the computer-aided design of biocatalytic reactions and cascades. An intuitive and accessible user interface allows different enzyme cascades to be explored as potential routes to a target molecule.

See Finnigan et al.

While the combination of multiple elements to form stable oxides holds great promise from a reactivity standpoint, mixing at the nanoscale remains complicated. Here, Li et al. introduce a general approach for the synthesis of a library of multi-elemental oxide nanoparticles. A new catalyst based on denary oxide nanoparticles is rationally designed and synthesized for highly stable and efficient methane combustion reactions.

See Li et al.