Advances in Small Molecule Activation Toward Sustainable Chemical Transformations

InfoMetricsFiguresRef. JACS AuVol 5/Issue 8Article This publication is Open Access under the license indicated. Learn More CiteCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore citation options ShareShare onFacebookXWeChatLinkedInRedditEmailBlueskyJump toExpandCollapse EditorialAugust 25, 2025Advances in Small Molecule Activation Toward Sustainable Chemical TransformationsClick to copy article linkArticle link copied!Christian LimbergChristian LimbergMore by Christian Limberghttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0751-1386Jaeheung ChoJaeheung ChoMore by Jaeheung Chohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2712-4295Carole Duboc*Carole Duboc*Email: email protectedMore by Carole Dubochttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9415-198XOpen PDFJACS AuCite this: JACS Au 2025, 5, 8, 3679Click to copy citationCitation copied!https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacsau.5c00935https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.5c00935Published August 25, 2025 Publication History Received 25 July 2025Accepted 25 July 2025Published online 25 August 2025Published in issue 25 August 2025editorialCopyright © Published 2025 by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 . License Summary*You are free to share (copy and redistribute) this article in any medium or format within the parameters below:Creative Commons (CC): This is a Creative Commons license.Attribution (BY): Credit must be given to the creator.Non-Commercial (NC): Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted. No Derivatives (ND): Derivative works may be created for non-commercial purposes, but sharing is prohibited. View full license*DisclaimerThis summary highlights only some of the key features and terms of the actual license. It is not a license and has no legal value. Carefully review the actual license before using these materials. This publication is licensed underCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 . License Summary*You are free to share(copy and redistribute) this article in any medium or format within the parameters below: Creative Commons (CC): This is a Creative Commons license. Attribution (BY): Credit must be given to the creator.Non-Commercial (NC): Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted. No Derivatives (ND): Derivative works may be created for non-commercial purposes, but sharing is prohibited. View full license *DisclaimerThis summary highlights only some of the key features and terms of the actual license. It is not a license and has no legal value. Carefully review the actual license before using these materials. License Summary*You are free to share(copy and redistribute) this article in any medium or format within the parameters below: Creative Commons (CC): This is a Creative Commons license. Attribution (BY): Credit must be given to the creator. Non-Commercial (NC): Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted. No Derivatives (ND): Derivative works may be created for non-commercial purposes, but sharing is prohibited. View full license *DisclaimerThis summary highlights only some of the key features and terms of the actual license. It is not a license and has no legal value. Carefully review the actual license before using these materials. License Summary*You are free to share(copy and redistribute) this article in any medium or format within the parameters below: Creative Commons (CC): This is a Creative Commons license. Attribution (BY): Credit must be given to the creator. Non-Commercial (NC): Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted. No Derivatives (ND): Derivative works may be created for non-commercial purposes, but sharing is prohibited. View full license *DisclaimerThis summary highlights only some of the key features and terms of the actual license. It is not a license and has no legal value. Carefully review the actual license before using these materials. License Summary*You are free to share(copy and redistribute) this article in any medium or format within the parameters below: Creative Commons (CC): This is a Creative Commons license. Attribution (BY): Credit must be given to the creator. Non-Commercial (NC): Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted. No Derivatives (ND): Derivative works may be created for non-commercial purposes, but sharing is prohibited. View full license *DisclaimerThis summary highlights only some of the key features and terms of the actual license. It is not a license and has no legal value. Carefully review the actual license before using these materials. License Summary*You are free to share(copy and redistribute) this article in any medium or format within the parameters below: Creative Commons (CC): This is a Creative Commons license. Attribution (BY): Credit must be given to the creator. Non-Commercial (NC): Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted. No Derivatives (ND): Derivative works may be created for non-commercial purposes, but sharing is prohibited. View full license *DisclaimerThis summary highlights only some of the key features and terms of the actual license. It is not a license and has no legal value. Carefully review the actual license before using these materials. ACS PublicationsCopyright © Published 2025 by American Chemical SocietySubjectswhat are subjects Article subjects are automatically applied from the ACS Subject Taxonomy and describe the scientific concepts and themes of the article. Atmospheric chemistry Catalytic reactions Physical and chemical processes Small molecule activation Small molecules Small molecules are constituents of the air we breathe (e.g., N2, O2, CO2), and they take part in element cycles and various metabolic processes. Further representatives (e.g., H2, CO, NH3, CH4) are produced or converted in nature under anaerobic conditions or in industrial processes on large scales. Hence, small molecules such as those mentioned are readily accessible and comparatively inexpensive, so it is highly desirable to include them in syntheses of value-added products or to use them as reservoirs of chemical energy (fuels). However, at the same time they are typically thermodynamically and/or kinetically quite stable, so their utilization requires an activation step. Small molecule activation has thus emerged as a cornerstone of modern chemical innovation, offering transformative opportunities in response to global challenges such as climate change, energy sustainability, and resource efficiency. The selective conversion of small molecules into valuable products requires not only creative molecular design but also a deep mechanistic understanding of catalytic processes.This Special Issue brings together leading-edge research focused on unlocking the potential of small molecules through transition-metal, lanthanide, actinide, and main-group element-based systems. It spans a broad spectrum of catalytic strategies, including electrocatalysis, photo(electro)catalysis, and the formation of C–N, C–O, and C–C bonds. In addition to synthetic advances, the issue emphasizes mechanistic investigations and atomic-level insights that inform the rational design of molecular and heterogeneous catalysts.The collection includes notable contributions of perspectives, research articles, and letters including the developments of photo(electro)catalytic and electrocatalytic processes for various applications, going from ammonia and alcohol oxidation (DOIs: 10.1021/jacsau.5c00054, 10.1021/jacsau.5c00494) to carbonylative cross-electrophile coupling (DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.4c00949), C–N and C–C bond formation (DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.5c00366), NO3– (DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.5c00361), O2 (DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.5c00320), and CO2 reduction (DOIs: 10.1021/jacsau.5c00683, 10.1021/jacsau.5c00627), as well as deep mechanistic investigations (DOIs: 10.1021/jacsau.5c00418, 10.1021/jacsau.5c00139, 10.1021/jacsau.4c01078) via the isolation of original key intermediates (DOIs: 10.1021/jacsau.5c00129, 10.1021/jacsau.5c00589) and/or proof of concept of innovative homogeneous catalytic systems (DOIs: 10.1021/jacsau.5c00051, 10.1021/jacsau.5c00400, 10.1021/jacsau.5c00516, 10.1021/jacsau.5c00533).We are pleased to serve as Guest Editors for this Special Issue and grateful for the enthusiastic response from the community. We hope this collection inspires continued innovation in the activation and utilization of small molecules. We thank all authors and reviewers for their valuable contributions.Author InformationClick to copy section linkSection link copied!Corresponding AuthorCarole Duboc, Associate Editor, JACS Au, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9415-198X, Email: email protectedAuthorsChristian Limberg, Guest Editor, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0751-1386Jaeheung Cho, Guest Editor, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2712-4295NotesViews expressed in this editorial are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS.Cited By Click to copy section linkSection link copied!This article has not yet been cited by other publications.FiguresReferences Get e-AlertsGet e-AlertsJACS AuCite this: JACS Au 2025, 5, 8, 3679Click to copy citationCitation copied!https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.5c00935Published August 25, 2025 Publication History Received 25 July 2025Accepted 25 July 2025Published online 25 August 2025Published in issue 25 August 2025Copyright © Published 2025 by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 . License Summary*You are free to share (copy and redistribute) this article in any medium or format within the parameters below:Creative Commons (CC): This is a Creative Commons license.Attribution (BY): Credit must be given to the creator.Non-Commercial (NC): Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted. No Derivatives (ND): Derivative works may be created for non-commercial purposes, but sharing is prohibited. View full license*DisclaimerThis summary highlights only some of the key features and terms of the actual license. It is not a license and has no legal value. Carefully review the actual license before using these materials. Article Views-Altmetric-Citations-Learn about these metrics closeArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. 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