Nature-inspired catalysts for challenging reactions in a greener future
Minnetale over Oddvar Nes ved Magnus Rindal
Minnetale over Hans Petter Langtangen ved Morten Hjorth-Jensen
Foredrag ved Unni Olsbye og Vincent Eijsink: Nature-inspired catalysts for challenging reactions in a greener future
Nature is capable of catalyzing and controlling some of the most challenging chemical reactions in the universe, such as the oxidation of methane and the recently discovered oxidative depolymerization of crystalline polysaccharides such as cellulose. While the mechanistic aspects of Nature's intricate tools are being unraveled, chemists are getting better at mimicking Nature by a combination of functionalized material synthesis, operando characterization and detailed mechanistic investigations. These increasing insights, along with better and more accessible tools for advanced structural modelling and theoretical chemistry, bring the fields of biological and chemical catalysis closer. We will discuss recent development in both fields and show how these fields could and should merge to solve major future challenges.