Articles in 2024

S-formyl thiols can be produced by S-formylation reactions in enzymatic processes that fix CO₂ through the formate dehydrogenase enzyme. Here the authors show the use of an organocatalytic metal-free process for the direct mono- and di-S-formylation of thiols using CO₂.

Multiple parameters are generally responsible for the reactivity of particulate catalysts, although nanoparticle proximity is often neglected. Here the authors report the impact of such structural factor using the hydrogenation of benzaldehyde over PdAu nanoparticles supported on macroporous SiO₂ as the probe reaction.

The electrochemical synthesis of organic acids is often performed in alkaline electrolytes. This Analysis presents a techno-economic analysis highlighting the challenges involved in using such electrolytes for downstream product separation and electrolyte recovery.

Photocatalytic H₂O₂ production from water and air is limited by the availability of these substrates and charge carriers at the catalytic sites. Here a donor–acceptor covalent organic framework acts as a supply chain for the delivery of charge, water and oxygen, resulting in 17.5% quantum efficiency under visible light irradiation.

C–H activation in organic chemistry usually relies on precious and toxic transition metals. Now it is reported that a sustainable photo-promoted iron-catalysed aromatic imine C–H alkenylation reaction with alkynes circumvents previous limitations of related iron-catalysed reactions that required additives or high reaction temperatures.

Chemoenzymatic cascade reactions are often hindered by catalyst incompatibility. Now, the co-packing of catalyst-loaded Pickering emulsion droplets and solid microspheres into a continuous-flow column reactor leads to efficient combination of homogeneous, heterogeneous and enzymatic catalysts.

Chiral BINOL-phosphates have qualified as privileged Brønsted acid organocatalysts, providing solutions to many challenging enantioselective transformations for a wide range of substrates under mild reaction conditions. Here we revisit the story of their origins.

The ab initio atomistic thermodynamics approach, coined by Reuter and Scheffler formally in 2001, remains pivotal for understanding and predicting the stable surfaces of thermal catalysts under technical conditions.

Traditional catalyst synthesis primarily hinges on liquid-phase methods. Nevertheless, a quarter of a century ago, the advent of vapour-phase methods such as atomic layer deposition opened up important alternatives to atomically tailor catalysts and boost their performance.

Electrocatalysis would not be the same without the rotating disk electrode. Its invention in the mid-twentieth century enabled immense developments, which rendered it a classic technique in electrochemistry. The rotating disk electrode will remain a cornerstone of electrocatalysis with further advances that bridge the gap with real systems.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylation is the canonical route for endogenous malonyl-CoA formation in cells. Here, the authors design a non-carboxylative malonyl-CoA pathway independent of acetyl-CoA into multiple microbes for efficient malonyl-CoA-derived natural products biosynthesis.

The mechanism by which bimetallic catalysts can outperform their monometallic counterparts is often unexplained. Now nitrate hydrogenation on bimetallic catalysts is shown to proceed via the electrochemical coupling of hydrogen oxidation and nitrate reduction half-reactions, each of which occurs on one metal component.

Axial chirality is a key element in many valuable compounds, such as ligands in organic chemistry or pharmaceuticals. Now the catalytic atroposelective synthesis of acyclic 1,3-dienes by chiral phosphoric acid-catalysed bromination is described, expanding the chemical space of axially chiral compounds.

Precious-metal-free catalysts for water oxidation commonly suffer from low stability in acidic electrolytes. Now, by controlling the intergrowth of the γ-MnO₂ structure, it has been possible to achieve 2 A cm⁻² at 2 V and a stability of over 1,000 hours at 200 mA cm⁻² in a polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyser.

The generation of Fischer-type carbene complexes for organic synthesis usually requires stoichiometric amounts of metal. Now the palladium-catalysed formation of a Fischer-type carbene intermediate for the synthesis of β-lactam derivatives is described and its crystal structure is solved.

Single metal atom catalysts on N-doped carbon supports are promising materials to replace Pt as cathode catalysts in fuel cells. Now a transient voltammetry method is applied to extract the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the oxygen reduction reaction on an iron phthalocyanine model catalyst.

Fixing CO₂ into value-added solid carbon such as carbon nanofibres is a promising process but poses substantial challenges. Now a tandem strategy is proposed where CO₂ and water are electrocatalytically converted into syngas to subsequently form carbon nanofibres via a thermocatalytic process.

Ring-expanding carbon-atom insertion reactions are currently limited to the installation of few functional groups. Now researchers show the use of a radical carbyne precursor for the insertion of carbon atoms bearing varied functional groups to access 2-substituted naphthalenes from indene.

Heterogeneous catalysts are often dynamic under operation. Now, the mechanism of CH₄ dry reforming on Ni is studied by in situ microscopy and spectroscopy, revealing the formation of metastable surface nickel–oxygen structures from CO₂ dissociation that exhibit different catalytic properties and induce rate oscillations.