Coordination chemistry inspires molecular catalysis

Catalysis is central to industrial chemistry, speeding the rate of chemical reactions and thus their productivity. Catalysts are molecules that reversibly bind with high specificity to other reactants to lower the activation energy required for a reaction to occur. When the reaction is completed, the catalysts are free to work their magic on more of the same. An important class of compounds with catalytic potential have a central atom surrounded by ligands attached to it with coordinate bonds. Fine-tuning ligands for functionalisation open the door to significant improvements in catalyst performance. CCIMC is training a new generation of scientists in coordination chemistry for molecular catalysis to fill an important gap and enhance European competitiveness in numerous industrial processes.