Methane is an extremely stable molecule that resists chemical transformation under normal conditions. The primary challenge lies in selectively converting methane into desired products without it being rapidly oxidized or degraded into unwanted byproducts. Traditional methods require very high temperatures (often above 1000°C), which are energy-intensive and economically unfavorable. Iron-based catalysts have emerged as promising solutions because they can facilitate methane activation at much lower temperatures through controlled radical chemistry. The key breakthrough involves designing catalysts that can generate methyl radicals from methane while simultaneously capturing these reactive intermediates before they oxidize, thereby achieving high selectivity toward valuable chemical products like ethylene, acetylene, and other C2+ hydrocarbons that serve as precursors for pharmaceuticals and other fine chemicals.

Iron catalysts work by facilitating C-H bond activation in methane through a combination of one- and two-electron processes. The innovative aspect of recent designs involves using photocatalytic systems where iron complexes are activated by light (LED irradiation) to generate methyl radicals from methane. The breakthrough lies in the synergistic interplay between radical generation and metal coordination: iron-carbonyl complexes can capture methyl radicals through outer-sphere mechanisms before they undergo rapid aerobic oxidation. This is achieved through ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) processes that occur under photoexcitation. The iron sites also facilitate C-C coupling reactions, allowing methyl radicals to combine into ethylene and other valuable products. By operating at ambient temperature under LED light rather than requiring extreme heat, these catalysts dramatically reduce energy consumption while achieving exceptional selectivity—meaning more of the methane is converted into the desired product rather than unwanted side products.