Can the Rate of a Catalytic Turnover Be Altered by Ligands in the Absence of Direct Binding Interactions?

Second sphere coordination effects ubiquitous in enzymatic catalysis occur through direct interactions, either covalent or non-covalent, with reaction intermediates and transition states. We present herein evidence of indirect second sphere coordination effects in which ligation of water/alkanols far removed from the primary coordination sphere of the active site nevertheless alter energetic landscapes within catalytic redox cycles in the absence of direct physicochemical interactions with surface species mediating catalytic turnovers. Density functional theory, in situ X-ray absorption and infrared spectroscopy, and a wide array of steady-state and transient CO oxidation rate data suggest that the presence of peripheral water renders oxidation half-cycles within two-electron redox cycles over µ3-oxo-bridged trimers in MIL-100(M) more kinetically demanding. Communication between ligated water and the active site appears to occur through the Fe-O-Fe backbone, as inferred from spin density variations on the central µ3-oxygen 'junction'. Evidence is provided for the generality of these second sphere effects in that they influence different types of redox half-cycles or metals, and can be amplified or attenuated through choice of coordinating ligand. Specifically in the case of MIL-100(M) materials, the Cr isostructure can be made to kinetically mimic the Fe variant by disproportionately hindering oxidation half-cycles relative to the reduction half-cycles. Kinetic and spectroscopic inferences presented here significantly expand both the conceptual definition of second sphere effects as well as the palette of synthetic levers available for tuning catalytic redox performance through chemical ligation.

Computational and Experimental Characterization of the Ligand Environment of a Ni-Oxo Catalyst Supported in the Metal-Organic Framework NU-1000.

Heterogeneous catalysts exhibit significant changes in composition due to the influence of operating conditions, and these compositional changes can have dramatic effects on catalytic performance. For traditional bulk metal heterogeneous catalysts, relationships between composition and catalytic operating conditions are well documented. However, the influence of operating conditions on the compositions of single-site heterogeneous catalysts remains largely unresolved. To address this, we report a combined computational and experimental characterization of a Ni oxo catalyst under catalytic hydrogenation conditions. Specifically, pair distribution function (PDF) analysis is combined with ab initio thermodynamic modeling to investigate ligand environments present on a Ni oxo cluster supported in the metal-organic framework NU-1000. Comparisons of the experimentally observed and simulated Ni-O coordination numbers and Ni-O, Ni···Ni, and Ni···Zr distances provide insight into the Ni ligand environment under H2 (g). These comparisons suggest significant OH and H2O content and, further, that different Ni ions within the cluster and/or NU-1000 structure may comprise subtly different numbers of these ligands. Further, the observation of significant H2O content under H2 (g) suggests that the NU-1000 support supplies H2O to the cluster. Examples of ligand environments that could lead to the observed PDFs are provided. The combination of simulations and experiments provides new insights into the ligand environment for Ni-NU-1000 catalysts that will be useful for understanding the ligand environments of other single-site Ni catalysts as well.

Site Densities, Rates, and Mechanism of Stable Ni/UiO-66 Ethylene Oligomerization Catalysts.

Nickel-functionalized UiO-66 metal organic frameworks (MOFs) oligomerize ethylene in the absence of cocatalysts or initiators after undergoing ethylene-pressure-dependent transients and maintain stable oligomerization rates for >15 days on stream. Higher ethylene pressures shorten induction periods and engender more active sites for ethylene oligomerization; these sites exhibit invariant selectivity-conversion characteristics to justify that only one type of catalytic center is relevant for oligomerization. The number of active sites is estimated using in situ NO titration to disambiguate the effect of increased reaction rates upon exposure to increasing ethylene pressures. After accounting for augmented site densities with increasing ethylene pressures, ethylene oligomerization is first order in ethylene pressure from 100 to 1800 kPa with an activation energy of 81 kJ mol-1 at temperatures from 443-503 K on Ni/UiO-66. A representative Ni/UiO-66 cluster model that mimics high ethylene pressure process conditions is validated with ab initio thermodynamic analysis, and the Cossee-Arlman mechanism is posited based on comparisons between experimental and computed activation enthalpies from density functional theory calculations on these cluster models of Ni/UiO-66. The insights gained from experiment and theory help rationalize evolution in structure and stability for ethylene oligomerization Ni/UiO-66 MOF catalysts.