Perspectives in 2019

Carbon monoxide can be electrochemically transformed to multi-carbon products selectively at high rates, raising the prospect of a two-step pathway to transform CO₂ into value-added chemical products. This Perspective highlights recent progress complemented by a techno-economic analysis of the two-step conversion process and cradle-to-gate lifecycle assessment.

The energies of the species in a given reaction network are linked by linear scaling relationships, limiting the design of catalysts with improved activity and selectivity. In this Perspective, López and Pérez-Ramírez discuss strategies to circumvent such scaling relationships.

While the oxidative addition of Pd to carbon–halide bonds is often regarded as being essentially irreversible, this is sometimes not the case. This Perspective looks at the conditions leading to reductive elimination of Pd from carbon–halide bonds, and the synthetic opportunities that this offers are discussed.

Solid oxide fuel cells have been identified as a promising technology to decarbonize the transportation sector. This perspective describes recent advances in the area and identifies those crucial aspects that still require development in order to favour the practical application of this technology.

While converting methane to methanol is an attractive process, making a catalytic—and commercially viable—route has presented severe difficulties. Here van Bokhoven and co-workers discuss the successes, problems and misconceptions in the field, focusing on the reaction with molecular oxygen over zeolites.

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.

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.

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.

Desalination processes generally leave brine as a by-product, which is then discharged back into the environment. This Perspective looks at recent procedures for using this brine instead as resource for the production of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide through direct electrosynthesis.

Amide bond formation is a hugely important reaction in organic synthesis. This Perspective examines the factors that influence the choice of reaction conditions for this process, comparing widely used stoichiometric reagents with catalysts. The authors draw on both academic and industrial data and focus on the efficiency, scope and sustainability of the various approaches.