Nature Catalysis, Published online: 29 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01616-6NiI/NiIII C(sp2)–heteroatom coupling is limited by poor oxidative addition, narrow scope and high catalyst loadings. Now a ligand/additive design approach balances NiI reactivity and stability, enabling the coupling of aryl bromides with nucleophiles at catalyst loadings as low as 100 ppm Ni.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 25 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01615-7Studying the role of surface oxygen vacancies during catalysis can be a daunting task. Here the authors introduce a method that adapts operando X-ray absorption and mass spectroscopies and integrates them with kinetic analysis and calorimetry to achieve the site-resolved analysis of oxygen vacancies present in Cr/ZnO during syngas conversion.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 23 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01623-7Author Correction: Alkali metal cation impurities stabilize Cu+ in oxide-derived copper for CO2 electrolysis

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 22 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01614-8Engineering cellular nitrene chemistry

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 21 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01612-wUnderstanding heterogeneous catalysis has been limited by the inability to directly observe atomic-scale structural changes under operando conditions. Now operando electron microscopy and quantitative image analysis are combined to quantitatively track with atomic resolution the three-dimensional evolution of individual Pt nanoparticles during CO oxidation, revealing the coexistence and dynamic interplay of Taylor- and Langmuir-type active sites.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 15 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01600-0Hydroalkylation, the addition of a C–H across an alkene bond, is an ideal method for making C(sp3)–C(sp3) bonds; however, linear selectivity is challenging. Here the authors report on achieving this with malonic acids as the alkyl donor reagents using iron photocatalysis.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 11 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01613-9Ni(OH)2 catalysts are commonly assumed to oxidize to NiOOH under water oxidation conditions. Now in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and DFT calculations reveal that the catalytically active surface at relevant potentials is terminated by NiO2 as bands once assigned to superoxides instead arise from NiO2 overtone and combination modes.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 07 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01605-9Understanding the role of nickel surface species in the hydrogen evolution reaction under alkaline conditions is crucial for developing precious-metal-free water electrolysers. Now, by systematically studying well-defined Ni surfaces, the authors dissect the contribution of NiO, NiHx and Ni(OH)2 species to the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 07 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01609-5Achieving efficient electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 and CO to high-value multi-carbon products remains a major challenge. Now, plasma activation is coupled with electrocatalysis on copper to enable unexplored reaction pathways, enhancing the production rates of C3+ hydrocarbons and oxygenates.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 07 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01611-xDespite decades of clinical use, the biosynthetic origin of 5-azacytidine remained unknown. Now the responsible gene cluster is identified, revealing enzymes that convert guanosine triphosphate into a triazine nucleobase through rare skeletal editing and unconventional thiamine-dependent chemistry.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 02 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01602-yGeometric distortions are the prevailing approaches for engineering frontier molecular orbitals and chemical reactivity in p-block elements. Here the authors show a spirocyclic structure that exploits through-space orbital interactions in sulfur atoms to engineer highest-occupied molecular orbitals with elevated energies.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 31 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01604-wThe mechanism of cation enhancement in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction has been widely debated but spectroscopic evidence under operating conditions is lacking. Now operando X-ray and surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy are combined with theory to reveal that desolvated Cs+ cations enable CO2 activation at substantially reduced overpotentials through partial covalent interactions.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 28 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01597-6Mizoroki–Heck reactivity has mostly been confined to the coupling of aryl (pseudo)halides with olefins. Now, the exploitation of ketenes generated in situ has unlocked direct access to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds and divinyl ketones via a Heck-type pathway.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 28 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01607-7Oxygen reduction catalysts are critical for advancing the durability and efficiency of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Now a block-copolymer micelle confinement strategy is shown to enable the decoupled synthesis of highly ordered, ultra-dense Pt-based intermetallic nanocrystals, yielding PEMFC catalysts with high activity and long projected lifetimes.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 25 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01603-xThe electrocatalytic hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) on Pt is orders of magnitude slower in alkaline media compared with acidic media. Here, by measuring the mass–charge change at the electrode during the HOR, the simultaneous adsorption of water molecules during desorption of hydrogen is observed only under acidic conditions.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 25 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01608-6C–P coupling of CO2 and phosphite to produce the pharmaceutically relevant compound foscarnet could offer a way to synthesize a valuable compound from waste materials. Now, this reaction is demonstrated electrocatalytically using an ionic liquid-modified Bi electrode.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 24 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01610-yA method is developed for the operando imaging of individual electrocatalytic turnovers at subparticle resolution — DELINE. Applied to surface water dissociation, this approach reveals nanoscale kinetic heterogeneity and a compensation relationship between the exchange velocity and charge transfer coefficient, providing insight for rational electrocatalyst design.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 24 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01598-5C–N bond functionalization of aliphatic primary amines is severely hampered by the poor nucleofugality of the NH2 group. Now, a direct catalytic deaminative cyanation of aliphatic primary amines has been established to enable efficient nitrile synthesis, including an asymmetric variant.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 20 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01606-8Solar coproduction in an artificial leaf

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 20 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01581-0The catalytic formation of C–N bonds remains a central challenge in synthetic chemistry owing to the widespread occurrence of amine motifs in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and other bioactive compounds. By merging photoredox and phosphine catalysis, researchers extend the reactivity of P(IV) intermediates to π-systems, enabling the Markovnikov-selective hydroamination of terminal alkenes and redefining the scope of main-group catalysis.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 20 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01583-yElectrocatalytic technologies may need to operate intermittently to maximize economics, switching off when electricity prices are high. This dynamic operation, however, leads to prohibitively accelerated catalyst degradation. Here, a controlled power-down strategy is tested over 750 hours with negligible catalyst degradation. Techno-economic analysis finds that dynamic operation can indeed benefit process economics, but only in electricity markets with large price fluctuations.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 20 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01588-7DNA-encoded chemical libraries (DELs) have long tiptoed around fragile DNA. Here, the barcode becomes an asset, enabling enzyme cascades that expand chemical diversity, redefining what ‘DEL compatible’ means.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 17 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01601-zAchieving a high selectivity for multicarbon alcohols via electrocatalytic CO2 reduction on copper has proved challenging. Here a nanoconfined catalytic reactor strategy integrates localized CO2 supersaturation, leading to the stabilization of ethoxy intermediates and a 70.3% Faradaic efficiency for ethanol at practical current densities.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 14 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01595-8Methanol electrooxidation on Pt is believed to follow parallel indirect and direct mechanisms, involving CO* or *O*OCH intermediates, respectively. Now operando electrochemical mass spectrometry and theoretical calculations are used to propose an alternative, more prevalent mechanism in which C–O bond cleavage occurs.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 14 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01593-wPhotocatalysts can generate radical species from substrates following light excitation. Here the authors report a two-photon bimodal catalysis approach in which the light-activated photocatalyst generates reactive intermediates at opposite redox scales, expanding the accessible redox window.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 14 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01580-1The partial oxidation of methane to syngas on Ni is commonly attributed to its metallic phase. Now, by combining in situ spectroscopy and microscopy, as well as density functional theory calculations, specific Ni–O motifs are identified as the active sites on Ni/Al2O3.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01599-4Understanding nanoscale heterogeneity in electrocatalytic reactions is critical for advancing catalyst design and performance. Now, a single-turnover imaging technique with subparticle resolution, DELINE, is introduced, which enables the mapping of electrocatalytic reactions and is used to probe surface water dissociation.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 12 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01589-6Intermolecular asymmetric carbonyl–ene-type reactions of unactivated aldehydes and alkenes remain largely unexplored. Now this transformation is achieved by combining confined imidodiphosphorimidate catalysts with an external silicon source to deliver enantioenriched homoallylic alcohols.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 07 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01596-7Impurities are usually blamed for irreproducible catalysis, but what if, in electrochemistry, they are part of the active material? It is now shown that, in CO2 electroreduction on oxide-derived copper, an uninvited ingredient from a standard bicarbonate electrolyte, Na+, can be incorporated into nanoscale, defect-rich microstructures during the oxide-to-metal transformation. This incorporation tracks with enhanced CO2 reduction activity, suggesting that trace electrolyte ions can become an integral (and previously hidden) part of the catalyst’s working state.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 05 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01594-9Phosphorothioate modifications are central to oligonucleotide medicines, but their stereocontrolled syntheses has proven challenging. A catalyst-controlled loading strategy now delivers stereodefined building blocks for oligonucleotides and cyclic dinucleotides.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 05 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01557-0Existing methodologies for the stereocontrolled synthesis of phosphorothioate oligonucleotides and cyclic dinucleotides generally rely on chiral auxiliaries and are not catalytic. This study reports a catalytic asymmetric P(V)-based strategy, enabled by a C2-symmetric multifunctional chiral bis(amidine) organocatalyst, for the stereoselective synthesis of these classes of compounds.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 03 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01575-yUnderstanding catalysis at its core requires more than the concept of the active site: it demands situating the active site within the reaction environment that ultimately governs its behaviour. Progress in catalysis science and engineering will increasingly depend on treating the active site and its environment as inseparable components, enabling a holistic and predictive framework for designing catalytic technologies.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01572-1Constructing reliable models for the discovery of heterogeneous catalysts requires high-quality data. This round-robin study reveals the need for rigorous assessment of uncertainty when selecting the input and output features of data-driven models.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01587-8Small catalytic nucleophiles can promote allylic transfer processes, but achieving regio- and stereocontrol is challenging. Here the authors develop a family of allylic transferase enzymes to mediate diverse C–C and C–N bond formations through the confinement of key intermediates within proteins.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01559-yThis Analysis presents a round-robin study of Rh/TiO2 catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation across four laboratories, quantifying both intralaboratory and interlaboratory variability and discussing the implications of this uncertainty for machine learning predictions.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01584-xThe roles of cell architecture and mass transport on the selectivity of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction have been challenging to decipher. Here a porous protective layer is used to study the copper-catalysed carbon–carbon coupling step in flow cells, supporting an Eley–Rideal mechanism.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01585-wNiMo-based catalysts exhibit excellent activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline electrolytes, but achieving high stability remains a challenge. Now a synthetic strategy is presented to prepare highly active and stable Ni/MoO2 cathode catalysts for anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 23 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01586-9Industrial waste reformed

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 23 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01592-xWhen aggregation induces photocatalysis

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 23 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01577-wChemoenzymatic peptide functionalization requires potent biocatalysts. Now, a rapid screening platform is developed to expand the underexplored diversity of the enzyme family of prenyltransferases, providing a broadly feasible approach to facilitating the discovery of biocatalysts.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 23 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01570-3Lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction offers a unique route to ammonia synthesis, but its performance depends strongly on the reactive solid-electrolyte interphase. Operando Raman spectroscopy now reveals how salt chemistry and ethanol can construct this interphase to control nitrogen transport, lithium reactivity and ammonia formation.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 17 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01576-xDNA-encoded library (DEL) synthesis can be constrained by DNA damage and limited reaction scope under conventional chemistry. Here a complementary CoA ligase–N-acyltransferase cascade is engineered to enable high yield, DNA-compatible amide formation, expanding substrate scope and DEL quality.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01582-zSurface strontium (Sr) enrichment in perovskite oxides has long been associated with degraded oxygen electrocatalysis. Now, atomically precise control of SrO coverage under operating conditions shows a volcano-shaped structure–activity relationship, revealing that a single SrO surface layer maximizes oxygen incorporation, with further analysis showing how surface termination influences the mechanism.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 13 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01591-yAuthor Correction: Bifunctional molecular additives enable efficient oxygen reduction reaction on platinum electrodes in the presence of strongly binding anions

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 13 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01579-8The Heck reaction is one of the most widely utilized in organic chemistry. Now the authors present a Heck-type transformation for the direct conversion of saturated acid chlorides into α,β-unsaturated ketones with iodoarenes via ketenes.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 10 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01573-0Reactions involving transient, unstabilized alkyl C-radicals generally suffer from poor enantioselectivity. Here the authors describe a method for the highly enantioselective cyanation of C-radicals via copper catalysis, enabled by a ligand-mediated radical orientation strategy.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 10 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01578-9Direct deaminative cyanation of aliphatic amines is hampered by inert C–N bonds and oxidative instability. Now a copper-catalysed, preactivation-free approach enabled by anomeric amide activation is reported that also includes an asymmetric variant.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 09 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01590-zPublisher Correction: Atomically precise layer-by-layer titration of perovskite oxides reveals the termination-specific reactivity in oxygen electrocatalysis

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 09 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01566-zEnergy transfer (EnT) catalysed dearomative cycloadditions of bicyclic azaarenes are largely limited to [4+2] pathways, with higher-order cycloadditions being difficult to achieve. Now, the authors circumvent this limitation by establishing a higher-order cycloaddition followed by cascades. This triple EnT-enabled [5+4]/[3,3]/[2+2] cascade with vinyl cyclopropanes enables one-pot access to complex pyridine-fused, bridged pentacycles scaffolds that are widely embedded in bioactive molecules, but whose synthesis has remained challenging owing to scarcity of efficient strategies.

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 08 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01574-zThe intermittent production of renewable electricity can have practical implications for renewable-driven electrocatalytic reactions. Here electrocatalytic CO reduction on Cu-based cathodes is investigated under power-on/power-off cycles, exposing mechanisms of deactivation and suggesting strategies to improve stability under these conditions.