C&EN Monthly - February 2024

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Here are some of the top articles from cen.acs.org that have been creating a reaction:

The elements of a green catalyst. Chemists agree that a sustainable future requires reducing reliance on precious metals such as palladium and rhodium. But making catalytic reactions more sustainable requires thinking about more than just swapping out precious-metal catalysts for earth-abundant ones.

Silicon could make car batteries better—for a price. Several companies aim to lower the cost of the high-capacity anode material in an effort to dethrone graphite.

Making space in STEM for people with disabilities. According to a National Science Foundation report, people with disabilities account for only 3% of the STEM workforce despite making up around 27% of the US adult population.

Structural biology in context. Cryo-electron microscopy has revolutionized structural biology. Now biologists are turning their electron microscopes from isolated proteins to sections of cells in the hope of defining protein structures in their crowded native context.

Stereo Chemistry Podcast: The small-molecule drug renaissance. There’s a promising class of drugs made of just a handful of atoms that punch above their weight by leveraging the natural chemistry of the cell.

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