(Chem Catalysis 4, 101115; September 19, 2024)

Recently, Li’s group designed a conceptually novel radical strategy for site-selective functionalization of ultra-remote arene C–H bond. The arenes were activated by intramolecular nitrogen-centered radical instead of generally used C–H metalation. The NHC-catalyzed radical cross-coupling acts as the key step to forging C–C bond at the para position of the arenes.

In the current issue of Chem Catalysis, Zhu and co-workers report the construction of a neotype strong metal-support interaction between Ni nanoparticle and BaCO3 via H2 reduction and CO2 hydrogenation. The migration of BaCO3 onto Ni nanoparticles leads to the formation of porous overlayers, which not only stabilized the Ni nanoparticles against sintering but also formed abundant Ni-BaCO3 interfaces

The quest for low-cost, Earth-abundant catalysts for hydrogen oxidation reactions (HORs) in anion-exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) has led to significant advancements in recent years, yet challenges pertaining to the stability of non-platinum-group metal catalysts operational conditions still remain. The study by Zhou et al. in Nature Energy presents an innovative approach to enhance the stability

In this issue of Chem Catalysis, Joanna Wencel-Delord et al.1 present a new surfactant featuring a specific ligation motif for selective coordination of Ru catalysts. This surfactant enables direct arylation reactions on highly functionalized substrates under exceptionally mild conditions, showcasing the potential for micellar catalysis to become a precision chemistry tool.

In a recent issue of Cell Reports Physical Science, Lin and coworkers describe a highly efficient method for methanolysis of polyesters and polycarbonates mediated by N-methylpiperidine. Mechanistic studies revealed the important roles of hydrogen bonding to achieve reaction efficiency, offering a simple method for closed-loop recycling of mixed plastic waste.

In this issue of Chem Catalysis, Mao et al. develop machine learning models that predict terminal alkene regioselectivity in catalytic hydroformylation, showing that high temperature, low pressure, and low metal concentration favor linear products. These models enable high-throughput screening, potentially advancing innovations in this industrial process.

In this issue of Chem Catalysis, Wang et al. have synthesized a single-atom Au3Fe1/Mo alloy featuring medium-spin Fe(III) through an alloying strategy to enhance plasmonic nitrogen fixation. The enhancement mechanism has been found to originate from the medium-spin Fe centers acting as active sites that facilitate the adsorption and activation of nitrogen molecules.

One of the crucial aspects of alkyne semihydrogenation is diastereoselectivity control. In this issue of Chem Catalysis, Werlé et al. described a rhodium-based system that may lead to (Z)- or (E)-alkenes, depending on the solvent. The outer-sphere mechanism was observed for (Z)-semihydrogenation while (Z)→(E) isomerization proceeds via the inner-sphere mechanism.

In a recent issue of Nature Catalysis, Xiong et al. develop an electro-oxidative coupling approach on Pt to efficiently synthesize urea from CO and NH3. The authors propose that the coupling of CO and NH3 leads to the formation of cyanate, followed by the Wöhler reaction to form urea.

In this issue of Chem Catalysis, Peng et al. utilized a computational-aided strategy to synthesize oxygen-enriched Ni-NOC single-atom catalysts with the coordination geometry of Ni-N4O1, featuring the excellent performance of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) formation coupled with 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation. This research advances the development of rationally designed high-performance electrocatalysts

In this issue of Chem Catalysis, Shen and colleagues present a novel model architecture and training technique for predicting enzyme kinetic parameters. The proposed models are an important step toward the development of more accurate kinetic prediction models, which are needed for many important industrial and scientific applications.

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