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The design of an original molecular architecture featuring an unusual sterically congested C(sp2)–C(sp3) stereogenic axis with six high rotational barriers results in the formation of six stereoisomers. The configuration of this axis can be controlled by transition metal catalysis and one stereoisomer can be produced selectively.
Creating enzymes with new capabilities is a key goal for synthetic biology and sustainable chemistry. Now, computational approaches have been used to quickly achieve leaps in enzyme function, providing a versatile platform for biocatalytic hydroamination.
The challenge in synthesizing hydrogen peroxide from O2 and H2O is to balance several concurrent reactions. Now, selective H2O2 production is achieved on a noble-metal-free photocatalyst based on carbon-nitride-supported antimony single atoms.
N-Heterocyclic carbenes are versatile ligands that can be used to modulate the properties of metallic surfaces. This Review focuses on efforts to tune the reactivity of metal-based heterogeneous catalysts by such molecular species, providing an overview of the techniques to study carbene–surface interaction and examples of successful catalytic reactions based on this approach.
Tuning the selectivity of CO2 electrohydrogenation to value-added products poses a challenge in CO2 mitigation and electrified chemical manufacturing. Now, a strategy to design and synthesize CO2 reduction electrocatalysts highly selective to either CO or CH4 for proton-conducting ceramic electrochemical cells is presented.
Highly active, selective and stable catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol are immensely sought after. Now, using a broad range of spectroscopic methods, in-plane double sulfur vacancies of MoS2 sheets have been suggested to catalyse this reaction using an unusual mechanism.
Extensive research efforts have been devoted to development of catalytic oxidation manifolds based on molecular oxygen. Now, an unconventional approach for oxygenation of organic sulfides by this abundant oxidant is introduced by merging nickel catalysis with electrochemistry.
Synthetic metabolic pathways that circumvent photorespiration can improve crop growth. Now, an efficient photorespiration bypass with a new-to-nature carboxylation step has been engineered and demonstrated in vitro.
RetroBioCat provides automated solutions for biocatalytic cascade design. The curated open-access tool, developed by researchers in biocatalysis, has the potential to greatly facilitate enzymatic retrosynthesis to target molecules.
Atomically dispersed and nitrogen-coordinated single iron site catalysts hold great promise to replace platinum for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, but they suffer from significant performance loss. Now, solving the conundrum to distinguish durable and non-durable FeN4 active sites can guide high-performance catalyst design.
Electrochemical CO2 conversion to hydrocarbons has increasingly improved with the development of better catalysts. Now, a copper catalyst modified with a polymer boosts the selectivity for ethylene production to 87%.
Despite over a century of research to understand heterogeneous electrocatalysis, the precise mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Now, it is proposed that the oxygen evolution reaction on IrOx is driven by changes in the redox state of the Ir–O active sites, rather than by changes in the interfacial electric field.
