The Frontiers of Catalysis Science and Future Challenges

Abstract

In the 10th Anniversary issue of Catalysis Letters in 2000, Professor M. W. Roberts reviewed the history of catalysis. This 25th Anniversary of the journal is a major milestone, and thus we have compiled an issue that has papers from some of the leading contributors to the frontiers of catalysis. We believe that now, on the occasion of the Silver Anniversary of the publication of Catalysis Letters, it is appropriate to focus on the rapid growth of the field, its development into molecular catalysis science and the future challenges that will be presented in the next 25 years. The importance of catalysis in energy conversion, in environmental remediation and in the development of new pharmaceuticals and biological chemistry has assured exponential development of the field equally in heterogeneous, homogeneous and enzyme catalysis over the past 25 years. While catalysis science used to be published in specialty journals, it has now entered the mainstream; in addition, the number of journals that publish papers with content chiefly dealing with catalysis has multiplied. Catalysis research is carried out and growing now on all of the continents with particular emphasis on Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The past 25 years have seen a transition of the field from one dominated by catalytic technologies to molecular catalysis science. There are three areas of catalysis science in which major advances have been made.