Chemical Reviews

Symrise's vanillin comes from a patented process starting from clove oil eugenol — oxidation to vanillin via a clean catalytic route. From spice rack to flavor lab: the molecular transformation that changed food.

Takasago's BINAP-Rh catalyzed asymmetric isomerization of allylic amines — producing (-)-menthol from myrcene — won Noyori the 2001 Nobel Prize. 3,000 tons/year of synthetic menthol from enantioselective catalysis. Chemistry at scale.

Froth flotation chemistry separates copper ore from gangue — xanthate collectors selectively bind to sulfide minerals, attaching them to air bubbles. Without these molecules, battery-grade copper stays in the rock.