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The 10 Chemical Innovations with the Highest Sustainability Potential

Enantioselective Organocatalysis – Easy Catalysis without Heavy Metals Problem: In chemistry, high-performance catalysts are often based on precious metals and are therefore very expensive. This represents an additional hurdle, especially for research, because projects with precious metal catalysts cause additional costs and therefore cannot always be financed. Goal: Efficient and environmentally friendly catalysis is required, which can also be implemented at low cost. Solution: Just as much of chemistry is inspired by nature, catalysis can of course be improved. The idea is metal-free catalysts. This has been the subject of research since the late 1990s. Previous successes have often been diminished by the high catalyst loading required. The reactivation of the spent catalyst was also usually difficult. In the meantime, however, researchers have already developed better organic catalysts that have largely solved these problems. Although they lag further behind metal catalysts in terms of efficiency, they are much cheaper - precisely because they do not require precious metals. Young scientists can thus set up their own research projects on catalysis without the need for expensive precious metals or laboratory equipment such as glove boxes for air-sensitive metal catalysts. Today, there are already established processes in the industry that synthesize active substances and chemicals using asymmetric organocatalysis. (Picture: Pixabay/erik_stein) arrow back arrow forward Image Zoom
Enantioselective Organocatalysis – Easy Catalysis without Heavy Metals

Problem: In chemistry, high-performance catalysts are often based on precious metals and are therefore very expensive. This represents an additional hurdle, especially for research, because projects with precious metal catalysts cause additional costs and therefore cannot always be financed.

Goal: Efficient and environmentally friendly catalysis is required, which can also be implemented at low cost.

Solution: Just as much of chemistry is inspired by nature, catalysis can of course be improved. The idea is metal-free catalysts. This has been the subject of research since the late 1990s. Previous successes have often been diminished by the high catalyst loading required. The reactivation of the spent catalyst was also usually difficult.
In the meantime, however, researchers have already developed better organic catalysts that have largely solved these problems. Although they lag further behind metal catalysts in terms of efficiency, they are much cheaper - precisely because they do not require precious metals. Young scientists can thus set up their own research projects on catalysis without the need for expensive precious metals or laboratory equipment such as glove boxes for air-sensitive metal catalysts. Today, there are already established processes in the industry that synthesize active substances and chemicals using asymmetric organocatalysis. (Picture: Picture: Pixabay/erik_stein)
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