Volume 1 Issue 9, September 2018

In this Editorial, we discuss recent advances and challenges in the field of biocatalysis and introduce some relevant work you will find in this issue of Nature Catalysis.

Artificial metalloenzymes generally consist of a synthetic (organo)metallic catalyst incorporated into a protein. Asymmetric catalysis by such metalloenzymes could result by virtue of the chiral protein environment. Now, redox-sensitive anchoring enables reversible incorporation of an iridium catalyst for transfer hydrogenation.

Typically, catalysts are discovered through trial and error coupled with chemical intuition. Now, an automatic machine-learning framework has been developed that can guide itself to find intermetallic surfaces with desired catalytic properties.

Heterogeneous photocatalysts are rarely employed in industry for the synthesis of commodity chemicals due to efficiency problems. Now, a photochromic Bi₂WO_6–x/amorphous-BiOCl composite is reported, which features a remarkable activity for the photocatalytic oxidation of toluene into benzaldehyde and benzoic acid.

This year marks a century since the pioneering work leading to what is now known as the Rosenmund reduction. We celebrate this landmark, reflecting upon the evolution of synthetic methodologies for reductive aldehyde synthesis from carboxylic acid derivatives and highlighting modern, improved strategies.

The general importance of electrostatic effects on catalysis is well appreciated, but their use in catalyst design is both promising and challenging. This Perspective discusses recent progress and future directions towards computational optimization of biological and chemical catalysis in terms of electric fields and their connections to experimental catalytic systems.

Plasmonic catalysis has recently revolutionized the field of catalysis, promising to achieve improved control over catalytic reactions by targeting specific electronic excitations. In this Review, Linic and co-workers discuss the recent advances in the field, focusing on the underlying physical mechanisms and their application in catalysis, as well as limitations and future perspectives.

Small-pore zeolites that engender high selectivity for light olefins in the conversion of methanol to olefins deactivate rapidly due to the accumulation of unreactive carbonaceous deposits. Now, experiments show that high-pressure hydrogen added to the methanol feed can substantially enhance catalyst lifetime without compromising selectivity.

Multicomponent couplings allow the rapid formation of molecular complexity from simple starting materials. Now, Ellman and co-workers report a three-component coupling that proceeds via aryl or vinyl C–H addition to dienes and aldehydes, and elucidate the mechanism by isolating a catalyst-bound intermediate. The C–H addition does not occur without all three components in place.

Artificial metalloenzymes can combine the scope of synthetic catalysts with the selectivity provided by the protein scaffold, but recycling of the single components is challenging. This work provides a methodology for controlling assembly and disassembly of an artificial metalloenzyme.

High activity and stability of enzyme cascades are key to their biotechnological application. Here, Willner and co-workers demonstrate that encapsulation in metal–organic framework nanoparticles can improve these features for two- and three-enzyme, as well as NAD⁺-dependent, cascades.

The design of new catalysts for electrochemical energy storage is of utmost importance. Here, an automated computational screening method is used to identify over 100 intermetallic surfaces as efficient electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction and H₂ evolution.

Despite its potential, the visible light-triggered photocatalytic oxidation of toluene remains difficult due to the lack of efficient and scalable catalytic strategies. Now, a photochromic Bi₂WO_6–x/amorphous BiOCl composite is reported with the ability to oxidize toluene into benzaldehyde and benzoic acid with outstanding rates and quantum efficiencies.

Knowledge of the active sites in catalysts—including the sites that form under working conditions—is vital for future design and development. Here, the authors track the atomic-scale changes in a series of well-defined cobalt-based oxide electrocatalysts, showing that the structurally distinct catalysts develop a similar structural motif as they transform into the catalytically active state.

Microbial production of haem for applications in healthcare and food supplement industry requires high-performing strains. Here, Lee and co-workers report secretory production of free haem by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli strains to produce up to 239 mg l⁻¹ total haem.