Rice University researchers have developed an inexpensive and environmentally friendly way to add carbon to carbon-carbon double bonds, a key step in building organic molecules. The method uses iron, sulfur, and purple light, and relies on cheap carboxylic acids instead of rare earth metals like palladium. This could lower costs and reduce the environmental footprint of synthesizing complex compounds, potentially accelerating drug discovery. The process generates only a small amount of CO2 as waste, which is easy to manage. Published in Nature Catalysis, the work opens new paths for molecular design without depending on scarce or costly catalysts.
