In Situ Generated Metal Nanocluster Catalysis

Metal nanoclusters attracting widespread attention as catalysts can trace back to the 1990s, with initial investigations centered on the in situ formed metal nanocluster species. These in situ formed metal nanoclusters offer superior catalytic activity, especially in hydrogenation, oxidation, borylation, and cross-coupling reactions. Although in most of the cases the in situ formed metal nanoclusters face the problem of catalyst deactivation as a result of their instability, their high catalytic efficiency attracted attentions of both chemists and material scientists. In this chapter, we discuss the catalytic performance of in situ generated metal nanoclusters with representatives in catalytic hydrogenation, oxidation, borylation, and cross-coupling reactions.