Ene reductases (ERs) are attractive biocatalysts in terms of their high enantioselectivity and expanded substrate scope. Recent works have proved that synthetic nicotinamide coenzyme biomimetics (NCBs) can be used as easily accessible alternatives to natural cofactors in ER-catalyzed reactions. However, the structure-reactivity relationships between NCBs and ERs and influence factors are still poorly

A variety of unsymmetric diaryl gold N-acyclic carbene (NAC) complexes was synthesized via the isonItrile route by three different methods: (a) solvent free in a melt, (b) mechanochemically and (c) in THF at room temperature. The latter method can also be used to synthesize unsaturated gold NHC complexes. These methods overall offer access to a broad array of new complexes and remove one of the previous

Abstract. A synthetically useful Z-selective cascade formal thiyl radical addition, 1,3-double bond isomerization, oxygen trapping reaction, can be promoted by Eosin B under visible light, leading to the construction of 2-aryl- and alkylthio enone derivatives in good yields. An accurate study on the reactivity of different thiols and the screening of the reaction conditions, allowed us to extend this

Lignin valorization allows the generation of a number of value-added products such as cis,cis-muconic acid (ccMA), which is widely used for the synthesis of chemicals for the production of biodegradable plastic materials. In the present work, we reported the first multi-enzymatic, one-pot bioconversion process of vanillin into ccMA. In details, we used four sequential reactions catalyzed by xanthine

Alkynylation reactions are one of the most sought-after synthetic methodologies due to the versatility of C-C triple bond diversifications. Sonogashira coupling was widely used for the synthesis of alkynylated molecules; however, this methodology requires the use of previously halogenated substrates, which is a major drawback. To overcome this issue, a complementary method, transition-metal-catalyzed

The Langmuir-Hinshelwood formalism describes catalytic reactions of Langmuirian surface species under the assumption that all adsorbates are randomly-distributed – enabling adjacency of surface-bound intermediates to be determined solely by coverages of single-site occupants. We demonstrate herein that this approximation is inappropriate even for simple catalytic reactions (e.g. A + A → A2) and manifestly

Metal-free carbon photocatalysts hold great promise in future visible-light-driven selective photocatalytic organic synthesis. However, designing ideal carbon photocatalysts from sustainable strategies to further improve the photo-efficiency and economic nature is crucial for portable industrial applications. Herein, a clean and economic strategy to fabricate hydrochar microspheres as the first metal-free

The partial hydrogenation of acetylene impurities in ethylene is industrially important because acetylene acts as a catalyst poison in downstream ethylene polymerization processes. In this reaction, simultaneously achieving high acetylene conversion and partial hydrogenation selectivity is challenging, and most known catalyst systems exhibit an inverse activity–selectivity relationship. Here, an amorphous

The conversion of syngas to higher oxygenates is an important step in the pathway towards the long-term sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. Mixed Cu/Fe catalysts combine metals with different CO activation characteristics, a property that makes them promising candidates for higher oxygenate production. However, Cu/Fe catalysts suffer from instability due to sintering and phase separation

C-methylation is a vitally important reaction applicable in chemical synthesis and structure-based drug design. Notably, the “magic methyl” effect has become decisive in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery for the modulation of bio-active properties in life science molecules. In this regard, C-methylation reaction is widely applied chemical modification in various biomolecules, pharmaceuticals,

Herein, catalytic Lewis acid-regulated divergent reaction between quinone imine ketals (QIKs) and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds provided the tunable approaches to a broad scope of versatile skeletons including a series of 2-aryl-1,3-dicarbonyl, indole, and benzofuran derivatives. The use of lithium chloride and ferrous bromide gave the C3- or C2-site alkylation products of the QIKs. The combination of ferrous

Combining spectroscopic and transient kinetic techniques provides access to the identification and quantification of active sites and corresponding turnover frequencies of catalyzed reactions [1]. Ab initio calculated rate coefficients combined with network generation codes allow so-called microkinetic models accounting for all relevant elementary steps of complex reaction networks. Computational Fluid

Cu dinuclear coordination polymers in which two Cu atoms are bridged by a halogen reduce CO2 to C2 products. The distance between the two Cu atoms is expected to affect the C–C coupling reaction efficiency, herein we propose that a shorter Cu-Cu distance and desorption of bridging halogen elements from Cu atoms facilitate C2 formation from experimental results and DFT calculations. In many previous

Polymeric carbon nitride materials show intriguing prospects in numerous light-to-energy conversion applications, but seldom studies focus on their triplet energy transfer, leading to the insufficient lifetime for the photochemical process. Inspired by the porphyrin molecular photocatalyst, single-atom sites (Fe-N4) as triplet sensitizing sites were fabricated in g-C3N4 for the preparation of Fe-g-C3N4

Mesoporous zeolite-supported Pt3Y catalyst deactivates slowly in propane dehydrogenation, maintaining high propane conversion and propylene selectivity, but the formation of the intermetallic compound requires atomistic migration of yttrium through silanol nests on the zeolite. Compared to the cumbersome generation of silanols via framework demetallation, we report a direct synthesis of mesoporous

Developing catalysts with outstanding performance for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial to advance energy conversion technologies. In these regards, catalysts based on 3d transition metals have recently attracted much attention, yet further development is required. Here, we present a new type of heterostructure catalyst in which CoO nanowire arrays are hybridized with tungsten nanoparticles

CeO2 nanoshapes, cubes with dominant (100) facets and octahedra with dominant (111) facets, were synthesized to investigate the influence of surface structure on acid-base properties. An optimization of calcination temperatures, coupled with Raman and TEM, was employed to minimize the intrinsic (Frenkel-type) defect sites and their potential complications on the facet studies involved in this work

By using a descriptor-based microkinetic analysis combined with results from density functional theory calculations over eight transition-metal (including Ni, Cu, Rh, Pd, Ag, Ir, Pt, and Au) terrace and stepped surfaces, intermetallic compounds have been screened to search for inexpensive and environmentally friendly propane dehydrogenation (PDH) catalysts with enhanced catalytic performance. Based

Harnessing a clean, affordable and inexhaustible source of energy is an immense scientific challenge. Scientists moved a step closer in 1972 when the first practical device for direct solar power-to-fuel conversion was reported.

The Haber–Bosch process was introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century; however, its mechanism remained controversial for many years. Thus, a comprehensive mechanistic picture was provided in the eighties.

To produce chemicals and fuels from CO2 and water while storing excess energy from renewable resources will play a big role in sustainability. Three decades ago, we learned that copper possesses the unique ability to break the stable CO2 bonds and to form C–C bonds, a key step towards higher-value products.

The old catalysis literature still has much to offer to the research community. This issue presents a selection of retro News & Views articles that highlight some key historical developments in the subareas of catalysis.