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Li Q, Liu QY, Zhao YX, He SG. Conversion of Methane at Room Temperature Mediated by the Ta-Ta σ-Bond. JACS AU 2024; 4:1824-1832. [PMID: 38818048 PMCID: PMC11134373 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.4c00032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Metal-metal bonds constitute an important type of reactive centers for chemical transformation; however, the availability of active metal-metal bonds being capable of converting methane under mild conditions, the holy grail in catalysis, remains a serious challenge. Herein, benefiting from the systematic investigation of 36 metal clusters of tantalum by using mass spectrometric experiments complemented with quantum chemical calculations, the dehydrogenation of methane at room temperature was successfully achieved by 18 cluster species featuring σ-bonding electrons localized in single naked Ta-Ta centers. In sharp contrast, the other 18 remaining clusters, either without naked Ta-Ta σ-bond or with σ-bonding electrons delocalized over multiple Ta-Ta centers only exhibit molecular CH4-adsorption reactivity or inertness. Mechanistic studies revealed that changing cluster geometric configurations and tuning the number of simple inorganic ligands (e.g., oxygen) could flexibly manipulate the presence or absence of such a reactive Ta-Ta σ-bond. The discovery of Ta-Ta σ-type bond being able to exhibit outstanding activity toward methane conversion not only overturns the traditional recognition that only the metal-metal π- or δ-bonds of early transition metals could participate in bond activation but also opens up a new access to design of promising metal catalysts with dual-atom as reactive sites for chemical transformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Li
- State
Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species,
Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
- University
of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
- Beijing
National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education
Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Qing-Yu Liu
- State
Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species,
Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
- Beijing
National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education
Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Yan-Xia Zhao
- State
Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species,
Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
- Beijing
National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education
Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Sheng-Gui He
- State
Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species,
Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
- University
of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
- Beijing
National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education
Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
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2
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Guo M, Wu X, Wu H, Sun X. Ligand effect on Ru-centered species toward methane activation. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:14329-14335. [PMID: 38695750 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp01420k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Ligands have been known to profoundly affect the chemical transformations of methane, yet significant challenges remain in shedding light on the underlying mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate that the conversion of methane can be regulated by Ru centered cations with a series of ligands (C, CH, CNH, CHCNH). Gas-phase experiments complemented by theoretical dynamic analysis were performed to explore the essences and principles governing the ligand effect. In contrast to the inert Ru+, [RuC]+, and [RuCNH]+ toward CH4, the dehydrogenation dominates the reaction of ligand-regulated systems [RuCH]+/CH4 and [RuCHCNH]+/CH4. In active cases, CH acts as active sites, and regulates the activation of CH4 assisted by the "seemingly inert" CNH ligand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengdi Guo
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, P. R. China.
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao 266101, P. R. China
| | - Xiaonan Wu
- East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, P. R. China.
| | - Hechen Wu
- Fudan University, Shanghai 200240, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyan Sun
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, P. R. China.
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao 266101, P. R. China
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3
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Zhao XG, Yang Q, Xu Y, Liu QY, Li ZY, Liu XX, Zhao YX, He SG. Machine Learning for Experimental Reactivity of a Set of Metal Clusters toward C-H Activation. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:12485-12495. [PMID: 38651836 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c00501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms of C-H activation of alkanes is a very important research topic. The reactions of metal clusters with alkanes have been extensively studied to reveal the electronic features governing C-H activation, while the experimental cluster reactivity was qualitatively interpreted case by case in the literature. Herein, we prepared and mass-selected over 100 rhodium-based clusters (RhxVyOz- and RhxCoyOz-) to react with light alkanes, enabling the determination of reaction rate constants spanning six orders of magnitude. A satisfactory model being able to quantitatively describe the rate data in terms of multiple cluster electronic features (average electron occupancy of valence s orbitals, the minimum natural charge on the metal atom, cluster polarizability, and energy gap involved in the agostic interaction) has been constructed through a machine learning approach. This study demonstrates that the general mechanisms governing the very important process of C-H activation by diverse metal centers can be discovered by interpreting experimental data with artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi-Guan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing-Yu Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi-Yu Li
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Xiao Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan-Xia Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng-Gui He
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
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4
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Zhao XG, Zhao ZP, Zhao YX, He SG. Activation of Methane by Rhodium Clusters on a Model Support C 20H 10. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:9192-9199. [PMID: 37801470 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Supported metals represent an important family of catalysts for the transformation of the most stable alkane, methane, under mild conditions. Here, using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry coupled with a newly designed double ion trap reactor that can run at high temperatures, we successfully immobilize a series of Rhn- (n = 4-8) cluster anions on a model support C20H10. Reactivity measurements at room temperature identify a significantly enhanced performance of large-sized Rh7,8C20H10- toward methane activation compared to that of free Rh7,8-. The "support" acting as an "electron sponge" is emphasized as the key factor to improve the reactivity of large-sized clusters, for which the high electron-withdrawing capability of C20H10 dramatically shifts the active Rh atom from the apex position in free Rh7- to the edge position in "supported" Rh7- to enhance CH4 adsorption, while the flexibility of C20H10 to release electrons further promotes subsequent C-H activation. The Rh atoms in direct contact with the support serve as electron-relay stations for electron transfer between C20H10 and the active Rh atom. This work not only establishes a novel approach to prepare and measure the reactivity of "supported" metal clusters in isolated gas phase but provides useful atomic-scale insights for understanding the chemical behavior of carbon (e.g., graphene)-supported metals in heterogeneous catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi-Guan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhong-Pu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan-Xia Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng-Gui He
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Research/Education Centre of Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
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5
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Li G, Li Z, Gao L, Chen S, Wang G, Li S. Combined molecular dynamics and coordinate driving method for automatically searching complicated reaction pathways. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:23696-23707. [PMID: 37610711 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp02443a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
The combined molecular dynamics and coordinate driving (MD/CD) method is updated and generalized in this work to broaden its applications in automatically searching reaction pathways for complicated reactions. In this updated version, MD simulations are performed with the GFN's family of methods to systematically sample conformers for almost any systems with atomic numbers Z ≤ 86. The improved CD procedure is greatly accelerated by applying a pre-screening stage at the semiempirical GFN2-xTB level. An automatic module based on the Marcus theory and its improved version (the Wolynes theory) is designed to include single electron transfer (SET) processes into reaction pathways. The capabilities of this method are demonstrated by exploring the most possible reaction pathways of three experimentally reported reactions: the organophosphine-catalyzed trans phosphinoboration, the Fe(II) complex-mediated C(sp2)-H borylation reaction, and the SET-triggered deaminative radical cross-coupling reaction. Comprehensive reaction networks are obtained for all three reactions with reasonable computational costs. Detailed mechanisms for these reactions can account for the reported experimental facts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoao Li
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of Ministry of Education, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhenxing Li
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of Ministry of Education, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China.
| | - Liuzhou Gao
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of Ministry of Education, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China.
| | - Shengda Chen
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of Ministry of Education, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China.
| | - Guoqiang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of Ministry of Education, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China.
| | - Shuhua Li
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of Ministry of Education, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China.
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Li S, Wu XN, Zhou S. Methane Activation by [OsC 3] +: Implications for Catalyst Design. J Phys Chem Lett 2023:5236-5240. [PMID: 37262342 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Gas-phase reactions of [OsC3]+ with methane at ambient temperature have been studied by using quadrupole-ion trap mass spectrometry combined with quantum chemical calculations. The comparison of [OsC3]+ with the product clusters revealed significant changes in cluster reactivity. In particular, with different ligands, the cluster may produce multiple products or, alternatively, just a single product. Theoretical calculations reveal the influence of electronic features such as molecular polarity index, charge and spin distribution, and HOMO-LUMO gap on the reactivity of the Os complexes. Fundamentally, it is the polarity of the clusters that leads to the cluster reactivity in the methane activation. Furthermore, reducing the local polarity of the catalyst active site may be one means of reducing the number of byproducts in the reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shihan Li
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Engineering Manufacture Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Nan Wu
- Institute of Zhejiang University - Quzhou, Zheda Road #99, Quzhou 324000, P. R. China
| | - Shaodong Zhou
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Med-X Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P. R. China
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Yuan B, Liu Z, Wu XN, Zhou S. On the distinct reactivity of two isomers of [IrC4H2]+ toward methane and water. Sci China Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11426-022-1342-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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