Previous studies have shown that aqueous solutions of designer surfactants enable a wide variety of valuable transformations in synthetic organic chemistry. Since reactions take place within the inner hydrophobic cores of these tailor-made nanoreactors, and products made therein are in dynamic exchange between micelles through the water, opportunities exist to use enzymes to effect secondary processes. Herein we report that ketone-containing products, formed via initial transition metal-catalyzed reactions based on Pd, Cu, Rh, Fe and Au, can be followed in the same pot by enzymatic reductions mediated by alcohol dehydrogenases. Most noteworthy is the finding that nanomicelles present in the water appear to function not only as a medium for both chemo- and bio-catalysis, but as a reservoir for substrates, products, and catalysts, decreasing noncompetitive enzyme inhibition.

An effective strategy of surface & grain boundary co-passivation is demonstrated to access perovskite solar cells with 21.31% champion efficiency as well as a highly improved stability of less than 3% efficiency loss after 2500 hours at a humidity of 70%.

We report a new catalytic protocol for highly selective C–H arylation of pyridines containing common and synthetically versatile electron-withdrawing substituents (NO2, CN, F and Cl). The new protocol expands the scope of catalytic azine functionalization as the excellent regioselectivity at the 3- and 4-positions well complements the existing methods for C–H arylation, Ir-catalyzed borylation, as well as classical functionalization of pyridines. Another important feature of the new method is its flexibility to adapt to challenging substrates by a simple modification of the carboxylic acid ligand or the use of silver salts. The regioselectivity can be rationalized on the basis of the key electronic effects (repulsion between the nitrogen lone pair and polarized C–Pd bond at C2-/C6-positions and acidity of the C–H bond) in combination with steric effects (sensitivity to bulky substitutents).