Gold going it alone

Spanish scientists have proved that gold alone can catalyse cross-coupling reactions following a claim made last year that palladium impurities in the gold are essential for the catalysis. 

Avelino Corma from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and his colleagues used kinetic and theoretical studies to prove their findings, published in 2007, that gold, coupled with cerium oxide, catalyses the reaction alone.¹ 'Gold nanoparticles are active enough to promote the reaction, regardless of the presence or absence of palladium,' says Corma. More...

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/February/02021101.asp