The electrochemical synthesis of ammonia via the lithium-mediated reduction of N₂ holds great promise to replace the carbon- and energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process. This Review discusses this approach and examines the critical role of the catalytic solid–electrolyte interphase formed on the electrode.

The use of data science tools in catalysis research has experienced a surge in the past 10–15 years. This Review provides a holistic overview and categorization of the field across the various approaches and subdisciplines in catalysis.

Material–microbe hybrids represent an interesting class of catalyst with potential for high energy efficiency and product selectivity. In this Perspective the authors discuss some of the difficulties in understanding these interdisciplinary systems and the attempts to unify the approaches taken by different research communities to further the field.

Atropisomerism is an expanding target of asymmetric catalysis. In this Review, recent advances in atroposelective synthesis under catalytic control are highlighted with a focus on general strategies that provide high versatility and modularity.

Recently, the pyridoxal-5′-phosphate-dependent enzyme SbzP was reported to catalyse a [3+2]-annulation reaction yielding β-NAD-derived antibiotics. Now, cryo-electron microscopy structures of a stable homologue and computational simulations provide structural and mechanistic insights into this enzymatic reaction.

Despite the availability of large omics datasets, determining intracellular metabolic states is challenging. Now a generative machine learning framework called RENAISSANCE has been developed to estimate missing kinetic parameters and determine time-resolved metabolic reaction rates and metabolite concentrations without requiring training data.

The electrochemical activation of alkanes on metal catalysts is a complex process that is not fully understood. Now an electrochemical protocol is put forward to isolate the adsorption, fragmentation and oxygenation potential-dependent steps of butane activation on a platinum electrode and derive its intricate reaction network.

Muconic acid is an important bio-based chemical; however its applications are limited by the lack of efficient methods to access its trans,trans-isomer. Here the authors address this problem with a catalyst based on single Ru atoms dispersed on zeolite BEA that is capable of unlocking hydride chemistries.

The transition metal-catalysed multicomponent cross-coupling of alkenes currently relies on strongly coordinating groups to direct the reactivity. Now Wu et al. present a nickel catalyst that enables the installation of sp² and sp³ fragments on alkenes using alcohols and ethers as directing groups.

Four-membered rings have become popular motifs in drug discovery, prompting the synthetic organic chemistry community to develop more expedite approaches to access these scaffolds. Here, the authors report a photocatalytic radical strategy for accessing densely functionalized azetidines from azabicyclo[1.1.0]butanes.

This Editorial deals with scientific language in research papers, considering the causes — as well as the problems — associated with the use of hyperbolic statements.