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Theoretical Aspects of Transition Metal Catalysis

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 6234

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Interests: computational catalysis; DFT and multireference methods; MOF; PAH
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Guest Editor
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Institute of Theoretical Solid State Physics (TFP) Wolfgang-Gaede-Str. 1, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Interests: DFT; TD-DFT; catalysis; photo-catalysis; SURMOFs; zeolites; excited state processes

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Co-Guest Editor
Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Known worldwide and commercially concealed, at room temperature or at 1000 °C, transition metal catalysis surrounds us, runs inside us, defines world economics, protects nature, and provides us with products without which we cannot imagine life. Long before the Haber process that abolished the Malthusian trap, chemists in universities and industry were looking for catalysts of their reactions, and transition metals came into use more often than any other class of compounds. On one side, at least three Nobel prizes have been directly related to transition metal catalysis. On the other, every second ton of palladium or platinum is turned into car catalysts and lab or industrial reactors. The trial-and-error approach in search for novel catalysts gave its place to rules-of-thumb, and they, in turn, to computational predictions. Today, the power of computational chemistry surpasses the combinatorial possibilities of synthesis of new catalytic materials and prediction of their properties, thus becoming a crucial component of novel catalyst design based on theoretical insights. Low concentration, high reaction speed, and harsh reaction conditions often significantly limit the amount of data that experimental scientists can provide to their theoretical colleagues, while the variability of oxidation states, sensitivity to the effects of promotors, ligands, and solvent, as well as the possibility of multireference problems make the work and contribution of computationalists even harder. Nonetheless, this Special Issue is devoted to the huge progress in the theoretical understanding of transition metal catalysis taking place today.

text

Dr. Dmitry Sharapa
Dr. Marjan Krstić
Prof. Dr. Karin Fink
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • volcano plot (Sabatier’s principle)
  • homogeneous catalysis
  • heterogeneous catalysis
  • biocatalysis, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis
  • single-atom catalysis
  • porous structures (MOFs, Zeolites)
  • catalysis on interface
  • Tandem catalysis

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2917 KiB  
Article
The Adsorption of Small Molecules on the Copper Paddle-Wheel: Influence of the Multi-Reference Ground State
by Marjan Krstić, Karin Fink and Dmitry I. Sharapa
Molecules 2022, 27(3), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27030912 - 28 Jan 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2339
Abstract
We report a theoretical study of the adsorption of a set of small molecules (C2H2, CO, CO2, O2, H2O, CH3OH, C2H5OH) on the metal centers of the [...] Read more.
We report a theoretical study of the adsorption of a set of small molecules (C2H2, CO, CO2, O2, H2O, CH3OH, C2H5OH) on the metal centers of the “copper paddle-wheel”—a key structural motif of many MOFs. A systematic comparison between DFT of different rungs, single-reference post-HF methods (MP2, SOS–MP2, MP3, DLPNO–CCSD(T)), and multi-reference approaches (CASSCF, DCD–CAS(2), NEVPT2) is performed in order to find a methodology that correctly describes the complicated electronic structure of paddle-wheel structure together with a reasonable description of non-covalent interactions. Apart from comparison with literature data (experimental values wherever possible), benchmark calculations with DLPNO–MR–CCSD were also performed. Despite tested methods show qualitative agreement in the majority of cases, we showed and discussed reasons for quantitative differences as well as more fundamental problems of specific cases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theoretical Aspects of Transition Metal Catalysis)
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Review

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32 pages, 3769 KiB  
Review
An Insight into Geometries and Catalytic Applications of CeO2 from a DFT Outlook
by Hussein A. Miran, Zainab N. Jaf, Mohammednoor Altarawneh and Zhong-Tao Jiang
Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6485; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26216485 - 27 Oct 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3403
Abstract
Rare earth metal oxides (REMOs) have gained considerable attention in recent years owing to their distinctive properties and potential applications in electronic devices and catalysts. Particularly, cerium dioxide (CeO2), also known as ceria, has emerged as an interesting material in a [...] Read more.
Rare earth metal oxides (REMOs) have gained considerable attention in recent years owing to their distinctive properties and potential applications in electronic devices and catalysts. Particularly, cerium dioxide (CeO2), also known as ceria, has emerged as an interesting material in a wide variety of industrial, technological, and medical applications. Ceria can be synthesized with various morphologies, including rods, cubes, wires, tubes, and spheres. This comprehensive review offers valuable perceptions into the crystal structure, fundamental properties, and reaction mechanisms that govern the well-established surface-assisted reactions over ceria. The activity, selectivity, and stability of ceria, either as a stand-alone catalyst or as supports for other metals, are frequently ascribed to its strong interactions with the adsorbates and its facile redox cycle. Doping of ceria with transition metals is a common strategy to modify the characteristics and to fine-tune its reactive properties. DFT-derived chemical mechanisms are surveyed and presented in light of pertinent experimental findings. Finally, the effect of surface termination on catalysis by ceria is also highlighted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theoretical Aspects of Transition Metal Catalysis)
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