Browse Articles

Good durability and activity of single Ru atom catalysts is critical for their large-scale utilization in electrochemical water splitting. Now, both of these properties can be better controlled through compressive strain engineering.

High-yield production of a functionally active mimic of particulate methane monooxygenase in Escherichia coli has been presented. Investigation of its catalytic mode clarifies the role of duroquinol in biomimetic methanol production.

The diversity of engineered amine dehydrogenases for reductive amination remains limited. Now, native amino dehydrogenases offering a different sequence space and catalytic features are discovered — enhancing and broadening the biocatalysis toolbox.

Peer review has established itself as a crucial validation mechanism for modern science. Despite the disadvantages associated with its practice, it remains a powerful method to add value to scientific publications.

CO₂ hydrogenation is frequently acclaimed as a strategy for greenhouse gases mitigation, although the carbon footprint of the corresponding electrocatalytic or thermocatalytic process is often neglected. This Perspective analyses the amount of CO₂ generated during methanol production for different catalytic processes and hybrid thereof.

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.