Researchers at McGill University have discovered a new way to use nanomaterials of a particular size and shape to perform old chemistry in a new fashion. Their finding, published in ACS Catalysis, highlights the use of cubic silver nanoparticles to harvest light for the activation of hydrogen in their hydrogenation reactions. These silver nanocubes possess an optical property called the surface plasmon resonance and their paper explores the use of these special properties in catalysis.