Catalysis
The latest chemistry news and research on catalysis, including homogeneous, heterogeneous, industrial and biocatalysis, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World.
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Research
New catalytic strategies boost alkene synthesis
Photocatalyst makes complex alkenes from acids, alkanes or alcohols, while a ‘phase-pure’ iron catalyst reduces unwanted Fischer–Tropsch waste products
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Research
Cinchona plant alkaloid catalyst subtracts hydrogen to invert alcohols’ chirality
Blue light desymmetrisation of diols holds promise for drug synthesis
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Research
Catalyst uses electricity to convert carbon dioxide into methane
Acting at the gas-liquid-solid interface to permit carbon dioxide and water to react, the catalyst achieves 80% efficiency
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Research
Atom-swapping reaction turns furans into pyrroles
Skeletal-editing technique offers easy way to modify heterocyclic structures
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Business
AstraZeneca synthetic chemistry prize winner celebrates ‘culmination of a high-quality academia-industry collaboration’
Ruth Webster from University of Cambridge wins 2024 AstraZeneca prize in synthetic chemistry for her work on iron catalysis
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Research
A new gold standard in selective nitrobenzene hydrogenation
Reaction proceeds through a previously unidentified mechanism
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Webinar
Emerging routes to new therapeutics: Highlights from winning Horizon Prize teams
Discover how new therapeutics have the potential to address unmet medical needs
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Research
How F1 plans to transition to ‘100% sustainable fuel’
Rule changes intend to make Formula One more environmentally friendly from 2026. But what are the changes, and can a sport known for gas-guzzling engines really go green?
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Research
Teaching enzymes new reactions through genetic code expansion and directed evolution
Anthony Green’s research group at the University of Manchester, UK, reengineers enzymes to have catalytic functions beyond those found in nature
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Research
Coffee experiment prompts method for accelerating aluminium–water reaction in seawater
Free electron pair on nitrogen atoms in imidazole linked to reaction rate enhancement
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Research
The catalyst speedup toolkit
A rundown of the various strategies scientists are exploring to cheat the Sabatier limit
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Feature
How a new strategy aims to break the catalytic speed limit
The Sabatier principle normally defines the maximum reaction rate enabled by catalyst materials, but scientists now think that they can go even faster, explains Andy Extance
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Research
Electrocatalyst-in-a-box recycles nitrogen species to produce ammonia from wastewater
Electrochemical catalytic system can handle real wastewater
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Research
Electrochemical reaction outcomes controlled by customised AC waveforms
Programmed alternating currents allow researchers to choose between reaction mechanisms with the flick of a switch
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Research
Glycolysis method breaks down mixed textiles for recycling
A new strategy chemically recycles the most common fibres found in fashion waste, including polyester, cotton and nylon
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Research
A sneak peek at the atomic secrets of copper-catalysed electroreduction of carbon dioxide
Probing reaction in real-time offers ways to improve conversion of greenhouse gas into fuels and feedstocks
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Research
‘Lasagna-like’ layered structure could triple productivity of water splitting
Cobalt–tungsten catalyst provides a commercially viable alternative to scarce metals like iridium
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Research
Clever activation strategy widens access to phosphazene superbases
Superbases stored as stable carboxylate salts – adding epoxide releases their full chemical potential
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Research
Study questions sustainability benefits of replacing palladium with nickel in cross-coupling reactions
Common belief that Earth-abundant metals are green replacements for palladium may be misleading
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Research
Simplified hydroformylation replaces rhodium with base metal
Bench-friendly asymmetric hydroformylation swaps toxic gas and expensive catalyst for cheap reagents and mild conditions