Stephan Bartling

Abstract Ammoxidation of methylarenes using ammonia and air is the main method for the synthesis of aromatic nitriles in the chemical industry. Despite significant efforts in industry and academia, no general and selective catalyst based on less toxic and earth-abundant metals has been developed for this reaction. Here we report a single-atom iron-based material (Fe@BNC-800-L1) with Fe–N5–Bx configuration as an efficient sp3-hybridized C–H- and C–C bond oxidation catalyst.

Abstract Arenes, and particularly heteroarenes are integral structural components of a variety of chemicals and represent a privileged class of bioactive compounds found in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and vitamins. Diastereoselective hydrogenation of multi-substituted (hetero)arenes offers an efficient and industrially relevant approach to convert these compounds into valuable, diversified 3D building blocks for applications for example in drug innovation.

Abstract Understanding the nature of active sites in heterogeneous catalysts and how to create them purposefully opens up the possibility of tailored catalyst design. Here we report mixed-valence subnanometre CoOx clusters, consisting of a few metallic Co0 atoms on top of Co2+, bound to a silicalite-1 support through lattice oxygen atoms as active species for non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation (PDH) to propene.