The Catalysis Laboratory at Merck: 20 Years of Catalyzing Innovation

The Catalysis Laboratory at Merck was established in 2002 to discover and develop asymmetric hydrogenation transformations for application to the company's pipeline. Twenty years later, it is safe to say that not only was what now feels like that modest goal accomplished, but many varied catalytic technologies have also emerged from this group. Furthermore, the successes achieved locally have spawned an array of further investments in catalytic manifolds and other enabling technologies across industry and academia alike. Herein, we will take a look back at the team's humble origins, discuss the many impacts that have been realized from that initial outlay, and provide thoughts on future directions entering the team's third decade.