Chemical Science Blog

Catalysis is all around us, from the enzymatic reactions in our body to the synthesis of fuels and medicines. Quite rightly, it forms an important part of Chemical Science too.  

We’ve gathered together some recent catalysis Edge articles and reviews for your perusal. If you enjoy these, sign up for the Chemical Science e-alert to be notified when the next issue is out.  

Synergistic catalysis: A powerful synthetic strategy for new reaction development
Anna E. Allen and David W. C. MacMillan
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 633-658  (free to access until 11^th July)

Rh(I)-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular hydroarylation of unactivated ketones with aryl pinacolboronic esters
Gary M. Gallego and Richmond Sarpong
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 1338-1342

Catalytic intermolecular hydroacylation of C–C π-bonds in the absence of chelation assistance
Joyce C. Leung and Michael J. Krische
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 2202-2209 (free to access until 11^th July)

Hindered biaryls by C–H coupling: bisoxazoline-Pd catalysis leading to enantioselective C–H coupling
Kazuya Yamaguchi, Junichiro Yamaguchi, Armido Studer and Kenichiro Itami
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 2165-2169

Cavity-induced enantioselectivity reversal in a chiral metal–organic framework Brønsted acid catalyst
Min Zheng, Yan Liu, Cheng Wang, Shubin Liu and Wenbin Lin
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2SC20379K

Artificial chirogenesis: a gateway to new opportunities in material science and catalysis
Martha V. Escárcega-Bobadilla and Arjan W. Kleij
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2SC20381B (free to access until 11^th July)

Selective liquid phase oxidation with supported metal nanoparticles
Nikolaos Dimitratos, Jose A. Lopez-Sanchez and Graham J. Hutchings
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 20-44 (free to access until 11^th July)

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of hybrid Fe₂O₃–Pd nanoparticulate catalysts
Yanhu Wei, Shuangbing Han, David A. Walker, Scott C. Warren and Bartosz A. Grzybowski
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 1090-1094

Active phase evolution in single Ni/Al₂O₃ methanation catalyst bodies studied in real time using combined μ-XRD-CT and μ-absorption-CT
Matthew G. O’Brien, Simon D. M. Jacques, Marco Di Michiel, Paul Barnes, Bert M. Weckhuysen and Andrew M. Beale
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 509-523

Lanthanide ions as required cofactors for DNA catalysts
Victor Dokukin and Scott K. Silverman
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 1707-1714

Molecular scaffolds with remote directing groups for selective palladium-catalyzed C–H bond functionalizations
Erin E. Stache, Curtis A. Seizert and Eric M. Ferreira
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 1623-1628

Experimental and quantum chemical characterization of the water oxidation cycle catalysed by [Ru^II(damp)(bpy)(H₂O)]²⁺
Laura Vigara, Mehmed Z. Ertem, Nora Planas, Fernando Bozoglian, Nils Leidel, Holger Dau, Michael Haumann, Laura Gagliardi, Christopher J. Cramer and Antoni Llobet
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2SC20399E

Hydrogenases and oxygen
Martin Tillmann Stiebritz and Markus Reiher
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 1739-1751 (free to access until 11^th July)

Also of interest: Outstanding organocatalysis: an article collection

US scientists have made nanoparticles that undergo enzyme-induced changes in structure which are detectable in complex environments.

Enzymes have previously been used to manipulate nanoscale structures, with methods such as electron microscopy used to analyse the morphology changes. But, says Nathan Gianneschi at University of California, San Diego, changes in nanoscale architecture will only be detectable in vivo if the enzyme’s action results in an output signal unique to the nanoscale assembly, such as a spectrophotometric response.

So Gianneschi and colleagues developed enzyme-responsive fluorogenic micellar nanoparticles made from peptide–polymer amphiphiles labelled with fluorescent dyes. They showed they could use Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) signals to sensitively monitor the nanoparticles’ response to enzymes.

The results are a step towards the use of enzyme-programmed materials for molecular diagnostics and drugs.

Link to journal article
Fluorogenic Enzyme-Responsive Micellar Nanoparticles
M-P Chien et al
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20165h

I am delighted to announce that Professors Melanie Sanford (University of Michigan) and Tom Muir (Princeton University) have joined the Chemical Science Editorial Board as the Associate Editors for physical organic chemistry and chemical biology respectively.

	Professor Melanie Sanford’s research focuses on the development and mechanistic study of new transition metal-catalysed reactions which she applies to organic synthesis. Her Editorial Office is now open and welcoming submissions in the area of physical organic chemistry.
	Professor Tom Muir is an expert in protein engineering and its application to studying cellular signalling networks.His Editorial Office opens on 1st August 2012 and will welcome submissions in the area of chemical biology.

Chemical Science publishes findings of exceptional significance from across all area of the chemical sciences. To submit your research to Melanie, Tom or any of our other outstanding Associate Editors, please use our online submission site.

Having synthesised the first example of a rigid acetylene-linked perylene bismuth macrocycle, scientists in Germany and Korea have made a series of these compounds with varying ring sizes and looked at their light-harvesting capabilities with regards to ring size, to establish a structure-property relationship.

They found that the larger the ring size, the slower the energy hopping. They add that the compounds have fast energy transfer capabilities compared to other artificial light-harvesting complexes such as porphyrin-based ones.

Enormous efforts have been invested into mimicking natural light-harvesting bacteria over the past two decades; investigations have focused on efficient energy transfer in particular.

Link to journal article
Excitation energy migration in covalently linked perylene bisimide macrocycles
F Schlosser et al
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20589k

The well-known semiconductor CdS can be transformed into an efficient, visible light photocatalyst that can selectively oxidise C-H bonds using molecular oxygen as the oxidant under ambient conditions, say scientists from China.

The team attributes the high performance to the catalyst’s cubic phase, high surface area and efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers upon visible light irradiation. It is easy to make and could be used to activate C-H selectively to make fine chemicals, they say.

Link to journal article
Transform CdS to an efficient visible light photocatalyst for selective oxidation of saturated primary C–H bonds under ambient conditions
Y Zhang et al
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20603j

A small autonomous boat powered by a volatile surfactant has been developed by scientists in Finland and Israel. The surfactant modifies the surface tension of the liquid it floats on to create a surface tension gradient that propels the boat forward.

Propulsion induced by a surface tension gradient is known as Marangoni propulsion. It’s used in nature by small creatures such as Microvelia (small aquatic insects) to give a burst of speed to escape predators. In man-made devices, the Marangoni effect has been used to power small ‘camphor boats’ and ‘soap boats’; however, these systems normally offer only short term propulsion or require the boat to be confined to specific channels.

To develop a longer-term propulsion system, the team led by Robin Ras at Aalto University, Finland, created a boat from a lightweight membrane made from a nanocellulose aerogel. The membrane is impermeable to water (and oil) but it allows the gaseous surfactants to pass through it. The team used ethanol as the fuel to power a boat floating on water.

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Link to journal article
Vapour-driven Marangoni propulsion: continuous, prolonged and tunable motion
Hua Jin, Abraham Marmur, Olli Ikkala and Robin H. A. Ras
Chem. Sci., 2012, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C2SC20355C, Edge Article