The magic of triads The magic of triads, Published online: 08 March 2018; doi:10.1038/s41929-018-0038-0Ammonia synthesis is an energy-intensive process due to the high activation barrier for N2 dissociation, which is the rate-determining step on conventional catalysts. Now, a ternary intermetallic catalyst is reported to be capable of catalysing this reaction through an alternative pathway.