Single atom-cluster synergy in Ag catalysts enables chiral glyceric acid from biomass.

ABSTRACT: Accessing optically pure chemicals directly from biomass via chemical catalysis remains challenging because of the need for high selectivity across complex, multistep transformations. Here, we report a robust silver-based catalyst featuring synergistic single atoms and nanoclusters that function as complementary active sites in the anaerobic oxidative carbon-carbon cleavage of bio-derived feedstocks. This catalyst enables the production of optically pure glyceric acid from a broad range of biomass sources including raw biomass with unprecedented yield (59 to 96%) and enantiomeric excess (97 to >99%). Structural and mechanistic studies reveal that silver clusters, stabilized by surface oxygen vacancies, activate dioxygen through π-backbonding, while electron-deficient silver single atoms pr

SUBMITTER: Xu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12637285 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature