Perspective on the Criticality of Palladium in Organic Synthesis

The palladium price has been rising because emissions legislation necessitates using more palladium in catalytic converters. However, this trend will not continue as the energy transition progresses, and in the future there will be considerably more palladium available to use in other applications, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals catalysts. This is both opportunity and justification for the organic chemistry research community to develop new and significant uses for palladium that can be of global benefit. Any catalyst research needs to include optimisation of circular economy, offering sustainable process and recovery options to support life cycle assessment.