Browse Articles

Upgrading CO to high-value multicarbon products is a promising avenue for fuel and chemical feedstock production. Here triangular Cu nanosheets that selectively expose the (111) surface exhibit a high acetate partial current density (131 mA cm^–2) and Faradaic efficiency (48%) in CO electroreduction.

Immobilized molecular catalysts can be efficient for the electroreduction of CO₂, but their practical applicability is hampered by the continued use of rare metals. Here, a photoelectrode based on an earth-abundant molecular catalyst with high CO₂ reduction performance is introduced.

In heterogeneous catalysis, solvents—and their interaction with metal supports—have a complex effect on reactivity. This study shows that, in Pd-catalysed furfural hydrogenation, water influences the rate and selectivity by favouring a proton transfer rather than a purely surface-bound mechanism.

Methane monooxygenase (MMO)—a protein of high biotechnological interest for the selective and mild conversion of methane to methanol—lacks a high-throughput production system. Now, the authors report the efficient production of particulate MMO-mimics for catalysis in solution and hydrogels.

A common problem with double C–H activation/cross-coupling is the formation of homocoupled products. Here, the authors show that an ionic group on one reagent during Fe catalysed cross-couplings can lead to a clearly defined order of C–H activation and hence the avoidance of homocoupled side-products.

Axially chiral biaryls have proven to have a wide variety of uses—perhaps most importantly as ligands in asymmetric catalysis—but their synthesis remains challenging. Here, Bin Tan and colleagues report a redox-neutral aryl–aryl coupling, providing a direct route to N,N and N,O axially chiral biaryls in high yields and enantioselectivities.

While organolithium and organomagnesium compounds have well developed methods in organic chemistry, organosodium compounds are much less widely used. Here a method to generate organosodium compounds from aryl chlorides and (hetero)arenes is reported, along with a demonstration of their use in cross-coupling reactions.

The electrochemical reduction of nitrogen is being intensely investigated as the basis for future ammonia production. This Perspective critiques current steps and missteps towards this goal in terms of experimental methodology and catalyst selection, proposing a protocol for rigorous experimentation.

New enzymes for the efficient and stereoselective synthesis of chiral amines are of high interest for the pharmaceutical industry. Now, Grogan, Vergne-Vaxelaire and co-workers report the discovery, characterization, crystal structure and engineering of a family of native amine dehydrogenases for the preparation of chiral amines from ketones.

The asymmetric synthesis of chiral γ-lactams is difficult and laborious; typically requiring pre-functionalization of starting materials. Now, a highly efficient alternative approach employing direct C−H amidation via chiral hydrogen-bond-donor catalysts has been developed.

The selective electrochemical conversion of ketones to value-added products still represents a challenge, due to a lack of fundamental understanding. Now, a principle has been revealed that allows the steering of the electroreduction of aliphatic ketones on platinum by carefully controlling the coordination number of the platinum atoms.

The synthesis of highly branched low molecular weight products — potential synthetic lubricants — directly from ethylene is challenging when highly efficient early transition metal catalysts are employed. Now, an alkane soluble co-catalyst permits the synthesis of such polyethylenes using a zirconium catalyst in a saturated hydrocarbon solvent, where competitive solvent coordination at the active site of the catalyst is relatively unimportant.

Photocatalytic water splitting with particulate semiconductors represents a promising strategy for the generation of hydrogen as a solar fuel. This review covers recent advances in the development of reaction systems and photocatalysts towards the scale-up of this technology, emphasizing at the same time the challenges to overcome.

While Ru-based electrocatalysts are among the most active for acidic water oxidation, they suffer from severe deactivation. Now, Yuen Wu, Wei-Xue Li and co-workers report a core–shell Ru₁–Pt₃Cu catalyst with surface-dispersed Ru atoms for a highly active and stable oxygen evolution reaction in acid electrolyte.

The hydrogenation of CO₂ to form methane has been known for over a century. However, given increased interest in small-molecule activation for energy storage, and improved catalysts and understanding of the process, it is worthwhile to look again at the reaction. This Perspective discusses recent work on the fundamentals of the Sabatier reaction and also the potential for large-scale applications.