Catalysis is an important field in both academic and industrial research because it
leads to more efficient reactions in terms of energy consumption and waste
production. The common feature of these processes is a catalytically active species
which forms reactive intermediates by coordination of an organic ligand and thus
decreases the activation energy. Formation of the product should occur with
regeneration of the catalytically active species. The efficiency of the catalyst can be
described by its turnover number, providing a measure of how many catalytic cycles
are passed by one molecule of catalyst.