Single-Hydroxide Bridged Dimers of U and Np Actinyls: A Density Functional Study on Their Existence and Structure in Aqueous Solution.

With quantum chemical calculations at the density functional theory level, we examined the structure and the stability of diactinyl monohydroxo complexes [(AnO2)2(OH)]3+/+ in aqueous solution for An = U(VI), Np(VI), and Np(V). In particular, this study contributes to understanding the hydrolysis of Np(VI) and Np(V), which is less well characterized than for U(VI). [(UO2)2(OH)]3+ is a known hydrolysis complex of U(VI) at low pH. Although not yet found in experiments, [(NpO2)2(OH)]3+ is suggested to exist due to the similarity between Np(VI) and U(VI) complexes, while [(NpO2)2(OH)]+ is a hypothetical species thus far. Our calculations suggest that the An(VI) complexes favor the parallel orientation of actinyls, whereas for the Np(V) complex a perpendicular arrangement is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between aqua ligands and the actinyl oxygen atoms. The Np(VI) complex [(NpO2)2(OH)]3+ features a structure and stability similar to its U(VI) analogue. From calculated formation constants for An(VI) diactinyl monohydroxo complexes, we find qualitative agreement with the experiment for U(VI). Both An(VI) complexes are only slightly less stable than the separate mononuclear constituents, the actinyl aqua and the monohydroxo complex. For the Np(V) species [(NpO2)2(OH)]+, we calculated a considerably lower complexation constant than for its An(VI) analogues, but it is more stable against decay into its constituents. Thus, this complex may exist at about the pH where Np(V) hydrolysis starts at not too low Np(V) concentrations.

The origin of the particle-size-dependent selectivity in 1-butene isomerization and hydrogenation on Pd/Al2O3 catalysts.

The selectivity of 1-butene hydrogenation/isomerization on Pd catalysts is known to be particle size dependent. Here we show that combining well-defined model catalysts, atmospheric pressure reaction kinetics, DFT calculations and microkinetic modeling enables to rationalize the particle size effect based on the abundance and the specific properties of the contributing surface facets.

Strain and Low-Coordination Effects on Monolayer Nanoislands of Pd and Pt on Au(111): A Comparative Analysis Based on Density Functional Results.

Recent experiments demonstrated that the catalytic centers for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are different on Pd and Pt nanoislands on Au(111). Inspired by these experiments, we examined the geometric, energetic, electronic and hydrogen adsorption properties of monolayer model nanoislands of Pd and Pt supported on Au(111) with density functional theory calculations. Accordingly, Au-tensile strain effects can be nearly 50% larger on the geometric structure of nanoislands of Pd on Au(111) than their Pt analogs, resulting on different electronic properties for these nanoislands. Despite these differences between Pd and Pt nanoisland on Au(111), our computational modelling of the hydrogen adsorption suggests that the unique catalytic centers for the HER on Pd and Pt nanoislands supported on Au(111) derive from the existence of low-coordinated adsorption sites and the intrinsic properties of Pd and Pt, but not from Au-tensile strain effects.

Hydration Structure and Hydrolysis of U(IV) and Np(IV) Ions: A Comparative Density Functional Study Using a Modified Continuum Solvation Approach.

We studied the hydration and the first hydrolysis reaction of U(IV) and Np(IV) ions in an aqueous environment, applying a relativistic density functional method together with a recently proposed variant of a continuum solvation model where the solute cavities are constructed with effective atomic radii, based on charge-dependent scaling factors. In this way, one obtains improved solvation energies of charged species. We demonstrate that solute cavities, constructed with scaled atomic radii as described, permit one to calculate hydrolysis constants of acceptable accuracy. As a consequence, one is also able to estimate free hydration energies of U(IV) and Np(IV) in adequate agreement with empirical data. According to the model calculations, U(IV) is coordinated by eight to nine water molecules, while the preferred coordination number of Np(IV) is 8. For the highly charged ions under study, the modified solvation model simultaneously yields improved geometries, hydration energies, and hydrolysis constants.

Interdisciplinary Round-Robin Test on Molecular Spectroscopy of the U(VI) Acetate System.

A comprehensive molecular analysis of a simple aqueous complexing system-U(VI) acetate-selected to be independently investigated by various spectroscopic (vibrational, luminescence, X-ray absorption, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and quantum chemical methods was achieved by an international round-robin test (RRT). Twenty laboratories from six different countries with a focus on actinide or geochemical research participated and contributed to this scientific endeavor. The outcomes of this RRT were considered on two levels of complexity: first, within each technical discipline, conformities as well as discrepancies of the results and their sources were evaluated. The raw data from the different experimental approaches were found to be generally consistent. In particular, for complex setups such as accelerator-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy, the agreement between the raw data was high. By contrast, luminescence spectroscopic data turned out to be strongly related to the chosen acquisition parameters. Second, the potentials and limitations of coupling various spectroscopic and theoretical approaches for the comprehensive study of actinide molecular complexes were assessed. Previous spectroscopic data from the literature were revised and the benchmark data on the U(VI) acetate system provided an unambiguous molecular interpretation based on the correlation of spectroscopic and theoretical results. The multimethodologic approach and the conclusions drawn address not only important aspects of actinide spectroscopy but particularly general aspects of modern molecular analytical chemistry.

DFT Variants for Mixed-Metal Oxides. Benchmarks Using Multi-Center Cluster Models.

Mixed-metal oxides, e.g., V-Mo and Bi-Mo, are promising selective oxidation catalysts. Yet, their intricate chemical composition and electronic structure often confound DFT methods. This study addresses problems arising from the simultaneous presence of two kinds of transition metals, by probing eight functionals-five hybrid functionals (MN15, M06, PBE0-D3, B3LYP-D3, and TPSSh-D3), the meta-GGA functional M06-L-D3, the range-separated functional ωB97XD, and the GGA functional PBE-D3. We examine the ability of these functionals to localize reducing electrons, and to reproduce reaction energies from CCSD(T) calculations. Accordingly, hybrid functionals containing 20% or more exact exchange perform considerably better in both tests. The B3LYP-D3 approach exhibits the lowest overall mean absolute deviation of reaction energies (OMAD), 21 kJ mol-1, and gave electron distributions as expected from the local lattice structure according to the pseudo-Jahn-Teller effect. MN15 and PBE0-D3 reproduced the electron distributions, but bore slightly higher OMAD values, at 31 and 32 kJ mol-1. Despite acceptable OMAD values, M06 (28 kJ mol-1) and TPSSh (23 kJ mol-1) in some cases did not yield the expected electron distributions. The range-separated functional ωB97XD experienced the opposite problem, yielding correct electron distributions but a poor OMAD of 41 kJ mol-1. M06-L-D3 and PBE-D3 performed relatively poorly, regarding the electron distribution and the OMAD values, 39 and 65 kJ mol-1, respectively.

Combined EXAFS Spectroscopic and Quantum Chemical Study on the Complex Formation of Am(III) with Formate.

The complexation of Am(III) with formate in aqueous solution is studied as a function of the pH value using a combination of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, iterative transformation factor analysis (ITFA), and quantum chemical calculations. The Am LIII-edge EXAFS spectra are analyzed to determine the molecular structure (coordination numbers; Am-O and Am-C distances) of the formed Am(III)-formate species and to track the shift of the Am(III) speciation with increasing pH. The experimental data are compared to predictions from density functional calculations. The results indicate that formate binds to Am(III) in a monodentate fashion, in agreement with crystal structures of lanthanide formates. Furthermore, the investigations are complemented by thermodynamic speciation calculations to verify further the results obtained.

Transformations of Organic Molecules over Metal Surfaces: Insights from Computational Catalysis.

Much-needed progress in catalytic science, in particular regarding heterogeneous catalysis, is associated with the transition from largely empirical research to rational design of new and improved catalysts and catalytic processes. To achieve this goal, fundamental atomic-scale understanding of catalytic processes is required, which can be achieved with the help of theoretical modeling, in particular, using methods based on quantum chemical calculations. In this review we illustrate the current progress by discussing examples from the authors' work in which complex reaction networks involving organic molecules on transition-metal surfaces have been studied using density functional theory. We review some of the success stories where theory helped to interpret experimental observations and provided atomistic insights into the mechanisms, which were not definitively known before. In other cases, partial disagreement between theoretical results and existing experimental evidence calls for further reconciliation studies.

Size-dependent properties of transition metal clusters: from molecules to crystals and surfaces--computational studies with the program ParaGauss.

In the so-called scalable regime the size-dependent behavior of the physical and chemical properties of transition metal clusters is described by scaling relationships. For most quantities this scalable regime is reached for cluster sizes between a few tens and a few hundreds of atoms, hence for systems for which an accurate treatment by density functional theory is still feasible. Thus, by invoking scaling relations one is able to obtain properties of very large nanoparticles and even the bulk limit from the results of a series of smaller cluster models. In this invited review we illustrate this strategy by exploiting results from computational studies that mostly were carried out with the density functional theory software ParaGauss. We address mainly the size-dependent behavior of the properties of transition metal clusters. To this end, we first present benchmark studies probing various approximations that are used in such density functional calculations. Subsequently we show how physical insight may be gained by exploring less understood types of systems. These applications range from bare clusters to nanoislands and nanoalloys to adsorption complexes.

Uranyl Solvation by a Three-Dimensional Reference Interaction Site Model.

We report an implementation of the three-dimensional reference interaction site model (3D RISM) that in particular addresses the treatment of the long-range Coulomb field of charged species, represented by point charges and/or a distributed charge density. A comparison of 1D and 3D results for atomic ions demonstrates a reasonable accuracy, even for a moderate size of the unit cell and a moderate grid resolution. In an application to uranyl complexes with 4-6 explicit aqua ligands and an implicit bulk solvent modeled by RISM, we show that the 3D technique is not susceptible to the deficiencies of the 1D technique exposed in our previous work [Li, Matveev, Krüger, Rösch, Comp. Theor. Chem. 2015, 1051, 151]. The 3D method eliminates the artificial superposition of explicit aqua ligands and the RISM medium and predicts essentially the same values for uranyl and uranyl-water bond lengths as a state-of-the-art polarizable continuum model. With the first solvation shell treated explicitly, the observables are nearly independent of the order of the closure relationship used when solving the set of integral equations for the various distribution functions. Furthermore, we calculated the activation barrier of water exchange with a hybrid approach that combines the 3D RISM model for the bulk aqueous solvent and a quantum mechanical description (at the level of electronic density functional theory) of uranyl interacting with explicitly represented water molecules. The calculated result agrees very well with experiment and the best theoretical estimates.

Structure and electronic properties of MoVO type mixed-metal oxides - a combined view by experiment and theory.

In this review we address recent efforts from experimental and theoretical side to study MoVO-type mixed metal oxides (MMOs) and their properties. We illustrate how structures of MMOs have been evaluated using a large variety of experimental techniques, such as electron microscopy, neutron diffraction, and X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, we discuss the current view on structure-catalysis correlations, derived from recent experiments. In a second part, we examine useful tools of theoretical chemistry for exploring MoVO-type systems. We discuss the need for using hybrid DFT methods and we analyze how, in the context of MMOs studies, semi-local DFT approximations can encounter problems due to a notable self-interaction error when describing oxidic species and reactions on them. In addition, we discuss various aspects of the model that are important when attempting to map complex MMO systems.

Uranyl adsorption at solvated edge surfaces of 2 : 1 smectites. A density functional study.

We systematically studied the adsorption of uranyl(vi) on two common edge surfaces, (010) and (110), of 2 : 1 smectite clay minerals, using standard periodic DFT models. To describe various types of permanently charged clay minerals, we introduced charged defects into the initially neutral layer of pyrophyllite, cation substitutions in tetrahedral (beidellitic) and octahedral (montmorillonitic) sheets. Comparing uranyl(vi) species at various sites of these two types of surfaces, we found that structural parameters of such adsorption complexes are essentially determined by the surface chemical groups forming the adsorption site, not by the type of the clay mineral. Even for sites involving a substituted cation we noticed only a weak effect of the substitution on the geometric parameters. Geometry optimization resulted in adsorbed uranyl or uranyl hydroxide, with coordination numbers of 4 or 5. However, in most cases the same species was determined on the same type of site, independent of the substitutions. Optimization of adsorbed uranyl leads to hydrolysis at sites close to a AlOH(-1/2) surface group, resulting in uranyl monohydroxide as adsorbate and protonation of the AlOH(-1/2) group. While most species are equatorially five-coordinated, coordination 4 is preferred when uranyl adsorbs on mixed AlO(H)-SiO(H) sites. Calculated formation energies of surface complexes do not single out a preferred species or site, but point to an equilibrium of several species. Comparison to experiment and consideration of pH conditions suggests AlOHOH and AlOH-SiO sites of (010) surfaces and AlOmOH, SiOOm, and AlOH-SiO sites of (110) surfaces as most probable for uranyl adsorption.

C-O cleavage of aromatic oxygenates over ruthenium catalysts. A computational study of reactions at step sites.

We studied the C-O cleavage of phenolate and catecholate at step sites of a Ru catalyst using periodic DFT methods at the GGA level. Both C-O scission steps are associated with activation barriers of about 75 kJ mol(-1), hence are significantly more facile than the analogous reactions on Ru terraces. With these computational results, we offer an interpretation of recent experiments on the hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol) over Ru/C. We hypothesize that the experimentally observed dependency of the product selectivity on the H2 pressure is related to the availability of step sites on a Ru catalyst.

Assessment of hybrid density functionals for the adsorption of carbon monoxide on platinum model clusters.

We examined computationally the adsorption of CO on various sites of (111) facets of the model clusters Pt79 and Pt225 with the semilocal exchange-correlation functionals PBE, TPSS, and M06L as well as their corresponding hybrid DFT variants PBE0, TPSSh, and M06. The adsorption of CO molecules on Pt(111) is a well-known challenge for the Kohn-Sham DFT approach because one has to treat adequately the electronic structure of the metallic moiety and simultaneously control the self-interaction in the adsorbate. Indeed, in the context of the so-called CO puzzle, hybrid DFT methods do not appear to be beneficial.

The DFT+Umol method and its application to the adsorption of CO on platinum model clusters.

Semi-local DFT approximations are well-known for their difficulty with describing the correct site preference for the adsorption of CO molecules on (111) surfaces of several late transition metals. To address this problem originating from a residual self-interaction in the CO LUMO, we present the DFT+Umol approach which generalizes the empirical DFT+U correction to fragment molecular orbitals. This correction is applied to examine CO adsorption energies at various sites on the (111) facets of cuboctahedral clusters Ptm(CO)8 (m = 79, 140, 225). The DFT+Umol correction leaves the electronic ground state of metal clusters, in particular their d-band structure, essentially unchanged, affecting almost exclusively the energy of the CO LUMO. As a result, that correction is significantly stronger for complexes at hollow sites, hence increases the propensity for adsorption at top sites. We also analyze competing edge effects on the (111) facets of the cluster models.

Does the preferred mechanism of a catalytic transformation depend on the density functional? Ethylene hydrosilylation by a metal complex as a case study.

For an extended set of density functionals (BP86, BLYP, B3LYP, B3PW91, PBE, PBE0, mPWPW, MPW1K, M06-L, M06, MPW3LYP, TPSS) we explored the key steps of four mechanisms of ethylene hydrosilylation (Glaser-Tilley, Chalk-Harrod, modified Chalk-Harrod, and σ-bond metathesis) by a Rh(I) catalyst, previously studied at the B3LYP level. The Chalk-Harrod and the σ-bond metathesis mechanisms were determined to be preferred for all these functionals. The preference among these two mechanisms and the corresponding highest relative barriers (6.6-11.8 kcal·mol(-1)) depend on the functional. To a certain extent, the differences in the description of the reaction can be traced back to the correlation part of the functionals. For the most notable functional-dependent barrier, similar values were calculated when the LYP correlation functional and the functionals M06-L and M06 were employed, but distinctively different values resulted from the functionals PBE, PW91, and TPSS.

Predicting adsorption enthalpies on silicalite and HZSM-5: A benchmark study on DFT strategies addressing dispersion interactions.

We evaluated the accuracy of periodic density functional calculations for adsorption enthalpies of water, alkanes, and alcohols in silicalite and HZSM-5 zeolites using a gradient-corrected density functional with empirical dispersion corrections (PBE-D) as well as a nonlocal correlation functional (vdW-DF2). Results of both approaches agree in acceptable fashion with experimental adsorption energies of alcohols in silicalite, but the adsorption energies for n-alkanes in both zeolite models are overestimated, by 21-46 kJ mol(-1). For PBE-D calculations, the adsorption of alkanes is exclusively determined by the empirical dispersion term, while the generalized gradient approximation-DFT part is purely repulsive, preventing the molecule to come too close to the zeolite walls. The vdW-DF2 results are comparable to those of PBE-D calculations, but the latter values are slightly closer to the experiment in most cases. Thus, both computational approaches are unable to reproduce available experimental adsorption energies of alkanes in silicalite and HZSM-5 zeolite with chemical accuracy.

Hybrid Density Functionals for Clusters of Late Transition Metals: Assessing Energetic and Structural Properties.

We present the first application of hybrid density functional theory (DFT) methods to larger transition-metal clusters. To assess such functionals for this class of systems, we compare the performance of three modern hybrid DFT methods (PBE0, TPSSh, M06) and their semilocal counterparts (PBE, TPSS, M06L) regarding average bond distances and binding energies per atom for a series of octahedral model clusters Mn (M = Ni, Pd, Pt; n = 13, 38, 55, 79, 116). With application to large particles in mind, we extrapolated the results to their respective bulk limits and compared them to experimental values. In some cases, average nearest-neighbor distances are notably overestimated by the PBE0 and M06 hybrid functionals. Results on energies allow a grouping of the tested functionals into sets of similar behavior for the three metals studied. Among the methods examined, the TPSSh hybrid density functional shows the best overall performance.

Metal-free polymerization of phenylsilane: tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane-catalyzed synthesis of branched polysilanes at elevated temperatures.

The strong organoborane Lewis acid B(C6F5)3 catalyzes the polymerization of phenylsilane at elevated temperatures forming benzene and SiH4 as side-products. The resulting polymer is a branched polysilane with an irregular substitution pattern, as revealed by 2D NMR spectroscopy. Having explored the mechanism of this novel metal-free polymerization by computational chemistry methods at the DFT level, we have suggested that unusual cationic active species, namely monomer-stabilized silyl cations, propagate the polymerization. Hydride abstraction of SiH3 moiety by the catalyst in the initiation step was found to be kinetically preferred by around 9 kcal mol(-1) over activation by coordination of the monomer at the aromatic ring. The formation of linear Si-Si bonds during propagation was calculated to be less favorable than branching and ligand scrambling, which accounts for the branched and highly substituted form of the polymer that was obtained. This novel type of polymerization bears the potential for further optimization with respect to degree of polymerization and structure control for both primary as well as secondary silanes, which can be polymerized by sterically less hindered boranes.

Activation of hydrogen peroxide by ionic liquids: mechanistic studies and application in the epoxidation of olefins.

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids that contain perrhenate anions are very efficient reaction media for the epoxidation of olefins with H2O2 as an oxidant, thus affording cyclooctene in almost quantitative yields. The mechanism of this reaction does not follow the usual pathway through peroxo complexes, as is the case with long-known molecular transition-metal catalysts. By using in situ Raman, FTIR, and NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations, we have shown that the formation of hydrogen bonds between the oxidant and perrhenate activates the oxidant, thereby leading to the transfer of an oxygen atom onto the olefin demonstrating the special features of an ionic liquid as a reaction environment. The influence of the imidazolium cation and the oxidant (aqueous H2O2, urea hydrogen peroxide, and tert-butyl hydrogen peroxide) on the efficiency of the epoxidation of cis-cyclooctene were examined. Other olefinic substrates were also used in this study and they exhibited good yields of the corresponding epoxides. This report shows the potential of using simple complexes or salts for the activation of hydrogen peroxide, owing to the interactions between the solvent medium and the active complex.