Volume 2 Issue 9, September 2019

Conventional experiments for generating proteins with improved properties by directed evolution are iterative, lengthy and costly. Now, a label-free assay has been developed for ultrahigh-throughput microfluidic screening that can dramatically accelerate the discovery of superior biocatalysts from a single round of genetic randomization.

Directed evolution typically requires extensive screening. This work presents an ultrahigh-throughput microfluidic assay, based on a coupled reaction and fluorescence-activated droplet sorting, enabling a 960-fold activity improvement of an amine oxidase for a non-natural substrate in a single round.

Traditional modes of catalyst deactivation such as Ostwald ripening and particle migration and coalescence eventually lead to sintering and particle growth. Now, Cargnello and colleagues identify loading-dependent particle decomposition into single atoms as an important deactivation mechanism during methane combustion on colloidal Pd nanocrystals.

α-Branched amines are commonplace in pharmaceutical agents. This work reports the synthesis of α-branched amines by simultaneous C–C and C–N bond formation at the sp³ carbon branch site through an 1,1-alkene addition pathway and utilization of three readily accessible starting inputs in a single catalytic cycle.

The development of efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction is critical for improving the efficiency of water electrolysis. Here, the inactive spinel CoAl₂O₄ is activated via iron substitution to achieve high activity and stability for water oxidation.

The direct amination of alcohols with ammonia is a modern and clean route for the synthesis of amines. This joint theoretical and experimental study reveals the key factors governing the activity and selectivity to primary amines on metals, which are then used for the rational design of bimetallic catalysts.

Biocompatibility plays a crucial role for the development of artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs) for therapeutic applications. This work presents an ArM with a ruthenium catalyst that is protected from physiological glutathione and accumulates in cancer cell lines for metathesis-mediated prodrug activation.

C-aryl glycosides are present in many natural products and of interest in drug design, but their chemical synthesis is challenging. This work reports an efficient and diastereoselective ortho-directed C−H glycosylation of arenes and heteroarenes with glycosyl chloride using a palladium catalyst.

Performing photocatalytic CO₂ reduction in a selective fashion with molecular catalysts represents a considerable challenge. Here, a binuclear cobalt complex featuring a bi-quaterpyridine ligand is developed that can selectively afford either carbon monoxide or formate by selection of the reaction medium acidity.

Efforts to harness the cellulolytic activity of enzyme assemblies have been mainly empirical due to the lack of quantification tools. Now this work reports experimental and theoretical approaches to quantify enzyme assemblies, revealing the parameters that are important for cellulolytic activity.

Elucidating reaction mechanisms on electrode surfaces is of utmost importance. Now, using canonical transition state theory, Cuk and colleagues show the competing pathways by which the charge-trapping intermediates of the water oxidation reaction on n-SrTiO₃ decay towards the next step in the reaction.