In the process of chemical reaction, the reaction in which the reactant only contains one carbon atom is collectively called one-carbon chemistry. The main purpose of one-carbon chemistry is to save coal and oil resources and generate more fuel for human beings with less carbon raw materials.

One-carbon chemistry begins with one-carbon hydrogenation reaction. A series of important chemical raw materials and fuel chemistry were synthesized from compounds containing one carbon atom, such as methane (CH4), synthesis gas (CO and H2), CO2, CH3OH and HCHO. Its core is selective catalytic chemical transformation, small molecule activation and directional transformation. CO and CO2 are obtained from coal gasification, and CH4 is the main component of natural gas. Therefore, one carbon chemical industry is actually a new generation of coal chemical industry and natural gas chemical industry. Its function is to solve the problem of shortage of oil interests and make liquid fuel from coal. This reaction, which involves the conversion from carbon to hydrocarbons, is called FT synthesis. Therefore, the key to mastering one-carbon chemistry is catalyst, and how to develop excellent catalyst affects the success or failure of one-carbon chemistry.

The basic dry matter of single-carbon chemistry is CO and H2, which can be easily obtained from any carbon-containing resources, which is the biggest reason why single-carbon chemistry can be at the core of future chemical industry.