Mechanistic mysteries of nickel catalysts unveiled | Research

New mechanistic studies have uncovered the role of salts and additives in the formation of active species in nickel-catalysed reactions. These results address ‘a fundamental gap in knowledge’, according to Eva Hevia, an expert in organometallic chemistry at the University of Bern, Switzerland, who wasn’t involved in the study. ‘Such fundamental understanding will lead to new discoveries in nickel catalysis.’

‘We’ve discovered that common reagents and additives, previously deemed innocent, play a key role in controlling the behaviour of nickel complexes as catalysts,’…