Gold catalysts are 'hot' because their electrons are heavy, chemist proposes

A model of the gold-phosphine complex based on X-ray crystallographic data. The gold atoms, in gold, participate in organic reactions, donating or accepting electrons, but the precise structure of the surrounding phosphine molecule determines the final product and whether it is left-handed or right-handed. The pink atoms are phosphorus; the black, carbon; the green, chlorine. (Dean Toste/UC Berkeley)