Themed collection Most popular 2018-2019 catalysis articles

In this perspective, key aspects for the identification, design and optimization of active centers at the surface of electrocatalysts are analyzed.

This article outlines the recent advances in catalyst design for controlling C–C coupling in syngas conversion, CO₂ hydrogenation and CO₂ electroreduction from the viewpoint of surface science.

The conversion of vast low-value saturated hydrocarbons into valuable chemicals is of great interest.

To date, enantiomerically enriched molecules containing gem(1,1)-diaryl containing tertiary or quaternary stereogenic centers have been readily accessed by transition metal-catalyzed enantioselective or stereoconvergent aryl transfer reactions.

Due to the low volatility and highly oxygenated nature of biomass derived feedstocks, biomass upgrade reactions are frequently conducted in the presence of solvent to improve substrate mass transfer to the catalyst surface.

By using simple optics such as a lens, switching between one- and two-photon driven reaction mechanisms became feasible, which allows the control over the main products of photochemical reactions.

A three-component radical process is reported that, by coupling alkyl chlorides, maleimides, and heteroaromatic fragments, installs multiple biologically relevant heterocycles within complex cascade products. This method, which generates radicals via an S_N2-based photochemical catalytic mechanism, activates substrates incompatible with or inert to classical radical-generating strategies.

Carbonyl–carbonyl olefination, known as McMurry reaction, represents a powerful strategy for the construction of olefins.

The reductive cross coupling of pyridinium salts derived from readily available primary alkyl amines with aryl halides has been achieved under mild reaction conditions using a nickel catalyst.

We have developed a catalytic asymmetric nucleophilic allylation of aldehydes using simple alkenes as pronucleophiles without relying on stoichiometric metals.

We have developed a nickel-catalyzed anti-Markovnikov hydroarylation of alkenes using aryl halides as coupling partners.

Low-overpotential water oxidation catalyzed by copper(II) porphyrin to produce O₂ in neutral aqueous solution and H₂O₂ in acidic solution.

Ni-catalyzed reductive two-component arylalkylation of unactivated olefins has been accomplished providing a path for a variety of benzene-fused carbo- and heterocyclic compounds.

Synthesis of functionalized gem-difluoroalkenes was achieved through nickel-catalyzed allylic defluorinative alkylation of trifluoromethyl alkenes with reductive decarboxylation of redox-active esters.

The direct Ir(III)-catalyzed ortho C–H alkylations of (hetero)aromatic aldehydes have been accomplished using aniline as the transient ligand and alkyl boron reagents as the coupling partner.

Carbon-coated Ni nanoparticles supported on N-doped carbon enable efficient electroreduction of CO₂ to CO comparable to single Ni sites.

The first example of direct meta-C–H arylation of fluoroarenes to provide valuable meta-fluorobiaryls is achieved by exploiting CO₂ as a transient directing group that enables complete regiochemical control of the arylation event.

Fine-tuned organic photoredox catalysts are introduced for the metal-free alkynylation of alkylnitrile radicals generated via oxidative ring opening of cyclic alkylketone oxime ethers.

We report novel structure–activity relationships and explore the chemical state and structure of catalytically active sites under operando conditions during the electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) catalyzed by a series of porous iron–nitrogen–carbon (FeNC) catalysts.

This work reports new (4 + 2)-annulations of α-alkyl vinylgold carbenes with benzisoxazoles to afford 3,4-dihydroquinoline derivatives with high anti-stereoselectivity.

A notable trend in OER activity on transition metal phosphide pre-catalysts is reported. Remarkably, the tri-metallic FeCoNiP pre-catalysts exhibit exceptional apparent and intrinsic OER activities, outperforming many non-precious OER catalysts reported previously.

A new, mild, functional-group tolerant approach to the construction aryl- and heteroaryl sulfones via Ni/photoredox dual catalysis is described.

The development of catalysts for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide offers an attractive approach to transforming this greenhouse gas into value-added carbon products with sustainable energy input.

Gold-catalysed [4+3]- and [4+2]-annulations of 3-substituted 3-en-1-ynamides with isoxazoles were achieved with Au(I) and Au(I)/Zn(II) catalysts respectively.

A trisubstituted chiral Cp^x ligand family is introduced.

The electronic modulation of the host catalyst via doping provides a new strategy to efficiently boost the HER activity of transition metal phosphides.

Ni-catalysed diarylation of vinylpyridylsilanes with arylzinc reagents and aryl halides is reported by stabilizing Heck intermediates as pyridylsilyl-coordinated transient metallacycles.

The first transition metal-catalyzed stereoconvergent Markovnikov 1,2-hydrosilylation of (E/Z)-dienes was effectively achieved with excellent E-selectivities using a cobalt catalyst.

A mechanistically distinct, Ni/photoredox-catalyzed arylation of unprotected, native thiols (e.g., cysteine residues) is reported – a process initiated through a visible light-promoted, hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) event under ambient conditions.

The doping of Pd with a small amount of Te can selectively convert CO₂ to CO with a low overpotential.