Binding and activation of N₂O at transition-metal centers: Recent mechanistic insights

No laughing matter, nitrous oxide's role in stratospheric ozone depletion and as a greenhouse gas has stimulated great interest in developing and understanding its decomposition, particularly through the use of transition-metal promoters. Recent advances in our understanding of the reaction pathways for N₂O reduction by metal ions in the gas phase and in heterogeneous, homogeneous, and biological catalytic systems have provided provocative ideas about the structure and properties of metal N₂O adducts and derived intermediates. These ideas are likely to inform efforts to design more effective catalysts for N₂O remediation.