Theoretical Design of Molecular Electrocatalysts with Flexible Pendant Amines for Hydrogen Production and Oxidation

Machine Learning and Quantum Calculation for Predicting Yield in Cu-Catalyzed P-H Reactions

The paper discussed the use of machine learning (ML) and quantum chemistry calculations to predict the transition state and yield of copper-catalyzed P-H insertion reactions. By analyzing a dataset of 120 experimental data points, the transition state was determined using density functional theory (DFT). ML algorithms were then applied to analyze 16 descriptors derived from the quantum chemical transition state to predict the product yield. Among the algorithms studied, the Support Vector Machine (SVM) achieved the highest prediction accuracy of 97%, with over 80% correlation in Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation (LOOCV). Sensitivity analysis was performed on each descriptor, and a comprehensive investigation of the reaction mechanism was conducted to better understand the transition state characteristics. Finally, the ML model was used to predict reaction plans for experimental design, demonstrating strong predictive performance in subsequent experimental validation.

Molecular Catalysts with Diphosphine Ligands Containing Pendant Amines

Pendant amines play an invaluable role in chemical reactivity, especially for molecular catalysts based on earth-abundant metals. As inspired by [FeFe]-hydrogenases, which contain a pendant amine positioned for cooperative bifunctionality, synthetic catalysts have been developed to emulate this multifunctionality through incorporation of a pendant amine in the second coordination sphere. Cyclic diphosphine ligands containing two amines serve as the basis for a class of catalysts that have been extensively studied and used to demonstrate the impact of a pendant base. These 1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctanes, now often referred to as "P₂N₂" ligands, have profound effects on the reactivity of many catalysts. The resulting [Ni(P^R₂N^R'₂)₂]²⁺ complexes are electrocatalysts for both the oxidation and production of H₂. Achieving the optimal benefit of the pendant amine requires that it has suitable basicity and is properly positioned relative to the metal center. In addition to the catalytic efficacy demonstrated with [Ni(P^R₂N^R'₂)₂]²⁺ complexes for the oxidation and production of H₂, catalysts with diphosphine ligands containing pendant amines have also been demonstrated for several metals for many different reactions, both in solution and immobilized on surfaces. The impact of pendant amines in catalyst design continues to expand.

Successes, challenges, and opportunities for quantum chemistry in understanding metalloenzymes for solar fuels research

Overview of the rich and diverse contributions of quantum chemistry to understanding the structure and function of the biological archetypes for solar fuel research, photosystem II and hydrogenases.

Quantum-mechanical transition-state model combined with machine learning provides catalyst design features for selective Cr olefin oligomerization

The use of data science tools to provide the emergence of non-trivial chemical features for catalyst design is an important goal in catalysis science. Additionally, there is currently no general strategy for computational homogeneous, molecular catalyst design. Here, we report the unique combination of an experimentally verified DFT-transition-state model with a random forest machine learning model in a campaign to design new molecular Cr phosphine imine (Cr(P,N)) catalysts for selective ethylene oligomerization, specifically to increase 1-octene selectivity. This involved the calculation of 1-hexene : 1-octene transition-state selectivity for 105 (P,N) ligands and the harvesting of 14 descriptors, which were then used to build a random forest regression model. This model showed the emergence of several key design features, such as Cr-N distance, Cr-α distance, and Cr distance out of pocket, which were then used to rapidly design a new generation of Cr(P,N) catalyst ligands that are predicted to give >95% selectivity for 1-octene.

Promoting proton coupled electron transfer in redox catalysts through molecular design

Mini-review on using the secondary coordination sphere to facilitate multi-electron, multi-proton catalysis.

Diffusion Monte Carlo simulations of gas phase and adsorbed D2-(H2)n clusters

We have computed ground state energies and analyzed radial distributions for several gas phase and adsorbed D₂(H₂)_n and HD(H₂)_n clusters. An external model potential designed to mimic ionic adsorption sites inside porous materials is used [M. Mella and E. Curotto, J. Phys. Chem. A 121, 5005 (2017)]. The isotopic substitution lowers the ground state energies by the expected amount based on the mass differences when these are compared with the energies of the pure clusters in the gas phase. A similar impact is found for adsorbed aggregates. The dissociation energy of D₂ from the adsorbed clusters is always much higher than that of H₂ from both pure and doped aggregates. Radial distributions of D₂ and H₂ are compared for both the gas phase and adsorbed species. For the gas phase clusters, two types of hydrogen-hydrogen interactions are considered: one based on the assumption that rotations and translations are adiabatically decoupled and the other based on nonisotropic four-dimensional potential. In the gas phase clusters of sufficiently large size, we find the heavier isotopomer more likely to be near the center of mass. However, there is a considerable overlap among the radial distributions of the two species. For the adsorbed clusters, we invariably find the heavy isotope located closer to the attractive interaction source than H₂, and at the periphery of the aggregate, H₂ molecules being substantially excluded from the interaction with the source. This finding rationalizes the dissociation energy results. For D₂-(H₂)_n clusters with n≥12, such preference leads to the desorption of D₂ from the aggregate, a phenomenon driven by the minimization of the total energy that can be obtained by reducing the confinement of (H₂)₁₂. The same happens for (H₂)₁₃, indicating that such an effect may be quite general and impact on the absorption of quantum species inside porous materials.

Unraveling the Role of a Flexible Tetradentate Ligand in the Aerobic Oxidative Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation with Palladium Complexes: A Computational Mechanistic Study

Mechanistic details of the aerobic oxidative coupling of methyl groups by a novel (^MeL)Pd^II(Me)₂ complex with the tetradentate ligand, ^MeL = N, N-dimethyl-2,11-diaza[3.3](2,6)pyridinophane, has been explored by density functional theory calculations. The calculated mechanism sheds light on the role of this ligand's flexibility in several stages of the reaction, especially as the oxidation state of the Pd changes. Ligand flexibility leads to diverse axial coordination modes, and it controls the availability of electrons by modulating the energies of high-lying molecular orbitals, particularly those with major d _z² character. Solvent molecules, particularly water, appear essential in the aerobic oxidation of Pd^II by lowering the energy of the oxygen molecule's unoccupied molecular orbital and stabilizing the Pd^X-O₂ complex. Ligand flexibility and solvent coordination to oxygen are essential to the required spin-crossover for the transformation of high-valent Pd^X-O₂ complexes. A methyl cation pathway has been predicted by our calculations in transmetalation between Pd^II and Pd^IV intermediates to be preferred over methyl radical or methyl anion pathways. Combining an axial and equatorial methyl group is preferred in the reductive elimination pathway where roles are played by the ligand's flexibility and the fluxionality of trimethyl groups.

Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer: Moving Together and Charging Forward

Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is ubiquitous throughout chemistry and biology. This Perspective discusses recent advances and current challenges in the field of PCET, with an emphasis on the role of theory and computation. The fundamental theoretical concepts are summarized, and expressions for rate constants and kinetic isotope effects are provided. Computational methods for calculating reduction potentials and pKa's for molecular electrocatalysts, as well as insights into linear correlations and non-innocent ligands, are also described. In addition, computational methods for simulating the nonadiabatic dynamics of photoexcited PCET are discussed. Representative applications to PCET in solution, proteins, electrochemistry, and photoinduced processes are presented, highlighting the interplay between theoretical and experimental studies. The current challenges and suggested future directions are outlined for each type of application, concluding with an overall view to the future.

Concerted proton-coupled electron transfer from a metal-hydride complex

Metal hydrides are key intermediates in the catalytic reduction of protons and CO2 as well as in the oxidation of H2. In these reactions, electrons and protons are transferred to or from separate acceptors or donors in bidirectional protoncoupled electron transfer (PCET) steps. The mechanistic interpretation of PCET reactions of metal hydrides has focused on the stepwise transfer of electrons and protons. A concerted transfer may, however, occur with a lower reaction barrier and therefore proceed at higher catalytic rates. Here we investigate the feasibility of such a reaction by studying the oxidation–deprotonation reactions of a tungsten hydride complex. The rate dependence on the driving force for both electron transfer and proton transfer—employing different combinations of oxidants and bases—was used to establish experimentally the concerted, bidirectional PCET of a metal-hydride species. Consideration of the findings presented here in future catalyst designs may lead to more-efficient catalysts.

Electrode initiated proton-coupled electron transfer to promote degradation of a nickel(ii) coordination complex

A Ni(ii) bisphosphine dithiolate compound degrades into an electrode-adsorbed film that can evolve hydrogen under reducing and protic conditions. An electrochemical study suggests that the degradation mechanism involves an initial concerted proton-electron transfer. The potential susceptibility of Ni-S bonds in molecular hydrogen evolution catalysts to degradation via C-S bond cleavage is discussed.

Application of the energetic span model to the electrochemical catalysis of proton reduction by a diiron azadithiolate complex

A method for the computation of TOF of catalysis of electrochemical reaction as a function of the potential was developed.

Computational investigation of [FeFe]-hydrogenase models: characterization of singly and doubly protonated intermediates and mechanistic insights

The [FeFe]-hydrogenase enzymes catalyze hydrogen oxidation and production efficiently with binuclear Fe metal centers. Recently the bioinspired H₂-producing model system Fe₂(adt)(CO)₂(dppv)₂ (adt=azadithiolate and dppv=diphosphine) was synthesized and studied experimentally. In this system, the azadithiolate bridge facilitates the formation of a doubly protonated ammonium-hydride species through a proton relay. Herein computational methods are utilized to examine this system in the various oxidation states and protonation states along proposed mechanistic pathways for H₂ production. The calculated results agree well with the experimental data for the geometries, CO vibrational stretching frequencies, and reduction potentials. The calculations illustrate that the NH···HFe dihydrogen bonding distance in the doubly protonated species is highly sensitive to the effects of ion-pairing between the ammonium and BF₄^– counterions, which are present in the crystal structure, in that the inclusion of BF₄^– counterions leads to a significantly longer dihydrogen bond. The non-hydride Fe center was found to be the site of reduction for terminal hydride species and unsymmetric bridging hydride species, whereas the reduced symmetric bridging hydride species exhibited spin delocalization between the Fe centers. According to both experimental measurements and theoretical calculations of the relative pK_a values, the Fe_d center of the neutral species is more basic than the amine, and the bridging hydride species is more thermodynamically stable than the terminal hydride species. The calculations implicate a possible pathway for H₂ evolution that involves an intermediate with H₂ weakly bonded to one Fe, a short H₂ distance similar to the molecular bond length, the spin density delocalized over the two Fe centers, and a nearly symmetrically bridged CO ligand. Overall, this study illustrates the mechanistic roles of the ammonium-hydride interaction, flexibility of the bridging CO ligand, and intramolecular electron transfer between the Fe centers in the catalytic cycle. Such insights will assist in the design of more effective bioinspired catalysts for H₂ production.

Theoretical calculations in conjunction with supporting experimental data are used to analyze the mechanistic pathway for hydrogen evolution catalyzed by the bioinspired model Fe₂(adt)(CO)₂(dppv)₂. This study elucidates the site of reduction and the pK_a values associated with formation of the singly and doubly protonated species, as well as the roles of the ammonium-hydride interaction, flexibility of the bridging CO ligand, and intramolecular electron transfer between the Fe centers in the catalytic cycle for H₂ production.

Arginine-containing ligands enhance H₂ oxidation catalyst performance

Hydrogenase enzymes use Ni and Fe to oxidize H2 at high turnover frequencies (TOF) (up to 10,000 s(-1)) and low overpotentials (<100 mV). In comparison, the fastest reported synthetic electrocatalyst, [Ni(II)(P(Cy)2N(tBu)2)2](2+), oxidizes H2 at 60 s(-1) in MeCN under 1 atm H2 with an unoptimized overpotential of ca. 500 mV using triethylamine as a base. Here we show that a structured outer coordination sphere in a Ni electrocatalyst enhances H2 oxidation activity: [Ni(II)(P(Cy)2N(Arg)2)2](8+) (Arg=arginine) has a TOF of 210 s(-1) in water with high energy efficiency (180 mV overpotential) under 1 atm H2 , and 144,000 s(-1) (460 mV overpotential) under 133 atm H2. The complex is active from pH 0-14 and is faster at low pH, the most relevant condition for fuel cells. The arginine substituents increase TOF and may engage in an intramolecular guanidinium interaction that assists in H2 activation, while the COOH groups facilitate rapid proton movement. These results emphasize the critical role of features beyond the active site in achieving fast, efficient catalysis.

Proton-coupled electron transfer in molecular electrocatalysis: theoretical methods and design principles

Molecular electrocatalysts play an essential role in a wide range of energy conversion processes. The objective of electrocatalyst design is to maximize the turnover frequency and minimize the overpotential for the overall catalytic cycle. Typically, the catalytic cycle is dominated by key proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) processes comprised of sequential or concerted electron and proton transfer steps. Theoretical methods have been developed to investigate the mechanisms, thermodynamics, and kinetics of PCET processes in electrocatalytic cycles. Electronic structure methods can be used to calculate the reduction potentials and pKa's and to generate thermodynamic schemes, free energy reaction pathways, and Pourbaix diagrams, which indicate the most stable species under certain conditions. These types of calculations have assisted in identifying the thermodynamically favorable mechanisms under specified experimental conditions, such as acid strength and overpotential. Such calculations have also revealed linear correlations among the thermodynamic properties, which can be used to predict the impact of modifying the ligands, substituents, or metal centers. The thermodynamic properties can be tuned with electron-withdrawing or electron-donating substituents. Ligand modification can exploit the role of noninnocent ligands. For example, ligand protonation typically decreases the overpotential. Calculations of rate constants for electron and proton transfer, as well as concerted PCET, have assisted in identifying the kinetically favorable mechanisms under specified conditions. The concerted PCET mechanism is thought to lower the overpotential required for catalysis by avoiding high-energy intermediates. Rate constant calculations have revealed that the concerted mechanism involving intramolecular proton transfer will be favored by designing more flexible ligands that facilitate the proton donor-acceptor motion while also maintaining a sufficiently short equilibrium proton donor-acceptor distance. Overall, theoretical methods have assisted in the interpretation of experimental data and the design of more effective molecular electrocatalysts.

pH-dependent reduction potentials and proton-coupled electron transfer mechanisms in hydrogen-producing nickel molecular electrocatalysts

The nickel-based P2(Ph)N2(Bn) electrocatalysts comprised of a nickel atom and two 1,5-dibenzyl-3,7-diphenyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane ligands catalyze H2 production in acetonitrile. Recent electrochemical experiments revealed a linear dependence of the Ni(II/I) reduction potential on pH with a slope of 57 mV/pH unit, implicating a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) process with the same number of electrons and protons transferred. The combined theoretical and experimental studies herein provide an explanation for this pH dependence in the context of the overall proposed catalytic mechanism. In the proposed mechanisms, the catalytic cycle begins with a series of intermolecular proton transfers from an acid to the pendant amine ligand and electrochemical electron transfers to the nickel center to produce the doubly protonated Ni(0) species, a precursor to H2 evolution. The calculated Ni(II/I) reduction potentials of the doubly protonated species are in excellent agreement with the experimentally observed reduction potential in the presence of strong acid, suggesting that the catalytically active species leading to the peak observed in these cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments is doubly protonated. The Ni(I/0) reduction potential was found to be slightly more positive than the Ni(II/I) reduction potential, indicating that the Ni(I/0) reduction occurs spontaneously after the Ni(II/I) reduction, as implied by the experimental observation of a single CV peak. These results suggest that the PCET process observed in the CV experiments is a two-electron/two-proton process corresponding to an initial double protonation followed by two reductions. On the basis of the experimental and theoretical data, the complete thermodynamic scheme and the Pourbaix diagram were generated for this catalyst. The Pourbaix diagram, which identifies the most thermodynamically stable species at each reduction potential and pH value, illustrates that this catalyst undergoes different types of PCET processes for various pH ranges. These thermodynamic insights will aid in the design of more effective molecular catalysts for H2 production.