biostudies-literaturevan IJzendoorn BUniversity of ManchesterUniversity of OxfordEuropean CommissionUK Research and Innovation30317-30325https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12371874biostudies-literatureUnknown147(33)Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is sometimes referred to as the forgotten greenhouse gas, but ignoring it would be a mistake. N₂O has a greenhouse warming potential 300× that of CO₂, and anthropogenic emissions are increasing. Yet, compared to CO₂, homogeneous catalysts that mediate its reduction are scarce. We present a range of cluster catalysts based on abundant and inexpensive p-block elements that mediate the conversion of N₂O to environmentally benign N₂. The catalysts studied offer many critical advantages, and systems can be tuned for performance, recyclability, selectivity, air stability, and commercial availability. Pnictogen clusters present themselves as a general platform in N₂O reduction chemistry, and control reactions confirm that these clusters offer access to reactivity that simple monopnictogen molecules do not. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the low-valent clusters can access a -1/+1 redox couple, which goes beyond classical main group redox couples and will unlock a vault of hitherto unknown chemical space.Journal of the American Chemical SocietyCatalytic Nitrous Oxide Degradation with Group 15 Clusters.PMC12371874EP/Y037391/1van IJzendoorn BKaltsoyannis NMehta MLister-Roberts RfalseCatalytic Nitrous Oxide Degradation with Group 15 Clusters.Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is sometimes referred to as the forgotten greenhouse gas, but ignoring it would be a mistake. N₂O has a greenhouse warming potential 300× that of CO₂, and anthropogenic emissions are increasing. Yet, compared to CO₂, homogeneous catalysts that mediate its reduction are scarce. We present a range of cluster catalysts based on abundant and inexpensive p-block elements that mediate the conversion of N₂O to environmentally benign N₂. The catalysts studied offer many critical advantages, and systems can be tuned for performance, recyclability, selectivity, air stability, and commercial availability. Pnictogen clusters present themselves as a general platform in N₂O reduction chemistry, and control reactions confirm that these clusters offer access to reactivity that simple monopnictogen molecules do not. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the low-valent clusters can access a -1/+1 redox couple, which goes beyond classical main group redox couples and will unlock a vault of hitherto unknown chemical space.2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Aug2026-05-09T10:45:05.084Z2026-04-08T00:48:34.751ZS-EPMC123718744076735810.1021/jacs.5c09618