Science 321, 118–190 (2008) 10.1126/science.1159979

Organic molecules containing carbon–fluorine bonds are long-lived atmospheric pollutants that act as powerful greenhouse gases. The secret of their longevity is the stubbornly unreactive nature of these bonds. A catalyst that could turn those tough C–F bonds into C–H bonds quickly and selectively would be a boon to people disposing of ozone-unfriendly molecules of this sort. Christos Douvris and Oleg Ozerov of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, have designed one.

Their catalyst contains silicon, which facilitates a bond-swapping reaction. Because the C–F bond is weaker than the Si–F bond and the Si–H bond weaker than the C–H bond, the switch from C–F to C–H by way of Si is thermodynamically favourable. The reaction occurs in mild conditions and the catalyst is reusable.