Making chemistry less precious

Abstract

Catalysis Much of modern chemistry relies on catalysis by precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium. By contrast, more abundant metals such as iron and copper suffice in biochemistry. Bullock et al. review the opportunities presented from the study of enzymes to shift the balance in synthetic catalysts further toward the use of these abundant metals. Whether by modifying the enzymes themselves or by designing ligand and support architectures that take advantage of the cheaper metals' characteristic electron transfer properties, recent work points toward substantial progress. Science , this issue p. [eabc3183][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abc3183