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Preface to “From Coadsorption and Catalysis at Solid Surfaces to Liquid–Solid Interfaces in Theory and Experiment, Published in Honor of Professor Robert K. Grasselli, Irsee IX Symposium Kloster Irsee, Germany 16–19 June 2022 (Irsee IX)”

The 9th Irsee Symposium entitled “From Coadsorption and Catalysis at Solid Surfaces to Liquid–Solid Interfaces in Theory and Experiment”, sponsored by the Robert Karl Grasselli Foundation, took place at its traditional venue, the Schwäbisches Bildungszentrum in Irsee, Germany, on 16–19 June 2022. In the Irsee Symposium, selected experts gather every few years to discuss recent progress, challenges, new directions, and frontiers in catalysis. Furthermore, after the moratorium imposed on us by Covid-19, all the participants especially enjoyed the lively meeting and face-to-face interactions.

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Minimizing energy demand and environmental impact for sustainable NH 3 and H 2 O 2 production—A perspective on contributions from thermal, electro-, and photo-catalysis

There is an urgent need to provide adequate and sustainable supplies of water and food to satisfy the demand of an increasing population. Catalysis plays important roles in meeting these needs by facilitating the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide that is used in water decontamination and chemicals production, and ammonia that is used as fertilizer. However, these chemicals are currently produced with processes that are either very energy-intensive or environmentally unfriendly. This article offers the perspectives of the challenges and opportunities in the production of these chemicals, focusing on the roles of catalysis in more sustainable, alternative production methods that minimize energy consumption and environmental impact. While not intended to be a comprehensive review, the article provides a critical review of selected literature relevant to its objectives, discusses areas needed for further research, and potential new directions inspired by new developments in related fields. For each chemical, production by thermal, electro-, and photo-excited processes are discussed. Problems that are common to these approaches and their differences are identified and possible solutions suggested.

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Preface: Special Issue: Catalysis for C1 Chemistry

This document is the preface for a Special Issue published in Catalysis Today that commemorates the career of Professor Jerry Spivey from LSU. It highlights the research contained in the special issue which represent areas in C1 catalytic chemistry where Professor Spivey made significant contributions. These areas include natural gas conversion, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, superacid catalysis and more.

Fischer-Tropsch↗

Optimizing the surface distribution of acid sites for cooperative catalysis in condensation reactions promoted by water

Addition of small amounts of water to the organic solvent may result in different promoting or inhibiting effects in aldol condensation reactions depending on the distribution of active sites on the surface. In a combination of liquid-phase catalytic activity measurements, spectroscopies and theoretical calculations, we have shown that water clusters around the acid site can form bridges with a ketone molecule located close to the activated carbonyl, on another site. When the distance between the two acid sites is greater than a distance corresponding to about 2 water molecules, the efficiency of the bond polarization of the ketone by a remotely located acid site decreases significantly, and the presence of water no longer promotes the reaction. Furthermore, this work provides a quantitative assessment of how solvent molecules can bridge isolated active sites to enable cooperative catalysis, which offers an additional dimension for engineering catalysis at the nanoscale.

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Computational methods in unraveling the mechanism of metallaphotoredox catalysis

Moving from Guangzhou, China to Maryland, USA in 2017 to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry was terrifying and exciting at the same time. However, it didn’t take me long to commit to working with a young assistant professor. As an undergraduate, I spent countless hours doing the “wet lab” research on green catalysis, where I developed a strong interest in organometallic catalysis and in using mechanistic-driven approach towards the rational design of novel catalytic systems. Not surprisingly, during the group rotation in my first semester in University of Maryland, the research focus and, in particular, the friendly group atmosphere led to my decision to join the research group of Dr. Osvaldo Gutierrez, who was just starting his 2nd year as an assistant professor.

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Atomic-resolution imaging as a mechanistic tool for studying single-site heterogeneous catalysis

Heterogeneous catalysts dominate the chemical industry but typically feature diverse, incompletely defined active sites. Thus, describing structure-activity relationships, unlike homogeneous catalysts, remains challenging. In contrast, molecularly defined single-site heterogeneous catalysts (SSHCs), using appropriate tools, are poised to address these challenges and provide new avenues for catalysis research and development. The present study explores eco-friendly H 2 production mediated by discrete MoO 2 sites supported on carbon nanohorns (CNHs) and active for alcohol dehydrogenation. While informative, detailed ensemble EXAFS/XANES/XPS, kinetic measurements, and DFT analysis alone cannot provide a full molecular picture of the reaction pathway. Here, using single-molecule atomic-resolution time-resolved electron microscopy (SMART-EM), we propose the identification of four key catalytic intermediates anchored to CNHs and uncover a new reaction pathway involving alkoxide/hemiacetal equilibration and acetal oligomerization. Furthermore, these intermediates are inferred through a combination of theory and SMART-EM, showcasing the potential of SMART-EM as a complementary tool for exploring mechanistic hypotheses in catalysis.

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Homogeneous Gold Redox Chemistry: Organometallics, Catalysis, and Beyond

Gold redox chemistry holds the promise of unique reactivities and selectivities that are different to other transition metals. Recent studies have utilized strain release, ligand design, and photochemistry to promote the otherwise sluggish oxidative addition to Au(I) complexes. More details on the reductive elimination from Au(III) complexes have also been revealed. These discoveries have facilitated the development of gold redox catalysis and will continue to offer mechanistic insight and inspiration for other transition metals. Furthermore, this review highlights how research in organometallic chemistry has led to gold redox catalysis, as well as applications in materials science, bioconjugation, and radiochemical synthesis.

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Engineering Nanostructured Interfaces of Hexagonal Boron Nitride-Based Materials for Enhanced Catalysis

Hexagonal boron nitrides (h-BNs) are attractive two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials that consist of alternating B and N atoms and layered honeycomb-like structures similar to graphene. They have exhibited unique properties and promising application potentials in the field of energy storage and transformation. Recent advances in utilizing h-BN as a metal-free catalyst in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane have triggered broad interests in exploring h-BN in catalysis. However, h-BN-based materials as robust nanocatalysts in heterogeneous catalysis are still underexplored because of the limited methodologies capable of affording h-BN with controllable crystallinity, abundant porosity, high purity, and defect engineering, which played important roles in tuning their catalytic performance. Here, in this account, our recent progress in addressing the above issues will be highlighted, including the synthesis of high-quality h-BN-based nanomaterials via both bottom-up and top-down pathways and their catalytic utilization as metal-free catalysts or as supports to tune the interfacial electronic properties on the metal nanoparticles (NPs). First, we will focus on the large-scale fabrication of h-BN nanosheets (h-BNNSs) with high crystallinity, improved surface area, satisfactory purity, and tunable defects. h-BN derived from the traditional approaches using boron trioxide and urea as the starting materials generally contains carbon/oxygen impurities and has low crystallinity. Several new strategies were developed to address the issues. Using bulk h-BN as the precursor via gas exfoliation in liquid nitrogen, single- or few-layered h-BNNS with abundant defects could be generated. Amorphous h-BN precursors could be converted to h-BN nanosheets with high crystallinity assisted by a magnesium metallic flux via a successive dissolution/precipitation/crystallization procedure. The as-fabricated h-BNNS featured high crystallinity and purity as well as abundant porosity. An ionothermal metathesis procedure was developed using inorganic molten salts (NaNH 2 and NaBH 4 ) as the precursors. The h-BN scaffolds could be produced on a large scale with high yield, and the as-afforded materials possessed high purity and crystallinity. Second, utilization of the as-prepared h-BN library as metal-free catalysts in dehydrogenation and hydrogenation reactions will be summarized, in which they exhibited enhanced catalytic activity over the counterparts from the previous synthesis method. Third, the interface modulation between metal NPs with the as-prepared defects’ abundant h-BN support will be highlighted. The h-BN-based strong metal–support interaction (SMSI) nanocatalysts were constructed without involving reducible metal oxides via the ionothermal procedure we developed by deploying specific inorganic metal salts, acting as robust nanocatalysts in CO oxidation. Under conditions simulated for practical exhaust systems, promising catalytic efficiency together with high thermal stability and sintering resistance was achieved. Across all of these examples, unique insights into structures, defects, and interfaces that emerge from in-depth characterization through microscopy, spectroscopy, and diffraction will be highlighted.

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Computational Methods in Heterogeneous Catalysis

The unprecedented ability of computations to probe atomic-level details of catalytic systems holds immense promise for the fundamentals-based bottom-up design of novel heterogeneous catalysts, which are at the heart of the chemical and energy sectors of industry. Here, we critically analyze recent advances in computational heterogeneous catalysis. First, we will survey the progress in electronic structure methods and atomistic catalyst models employed, which have enabled the catalysis community to build increasingly intricate, realistic, and accurate models of the active sites of supported transition-metal catalysts. We then review developments in microkinetic modeling, specifically mean-field microkinetic models and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, which bridge the gap between nanoscale computational insights and macroscale experimental kinetics data with increasing fidelity. Here, we finally review the advancements in theoretical methods for accelerating catalyst design and discovery. Throughout the review, we provide ample examples of applications, discuss remaining challenges, and provide our outlook for the near future.

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Designing Sites in Heterogeneous Catalysis: Are We Reaching Selectivities Competitive With Those of Homogeneous Catalysts?

A critical review of different prominent nanotechnologies adapted to catalysis is provided, with focus on how they contribute to the improvement of selectivity in heterogeneous catalysis. Ways to modify catalytic sites range from the use of the reversible or irreversible adsorption of molecular modifiers to the immobilization or tethering of homogeneous catalysts and the development of well-defined catalytic sites on solid surfaces. The latter covers methods for the dispersion of single-atom sites within solid supports as well as the use of complex nanostructures, and it includes the post-modification of materials via processes such as silylation and atomic layer deposition. All these methodologies exhibit both advantages and limitations, but all offer new avenues for the design of catalysts for specific applications. Because of the high cost of most nanotechnologies and the fact that the resulting materials may exhibit limited thermal or chemical stability, they may be best aimed at improving the selective synthesis of high value-added chemicals, to be incorporated in organic synthesis schemes, but other applications are being explored as well to address problems in energy production, for instance, and to design greener chemical processes. Finally, the details of each of these approaches are discussed, and representative examples are provided. We conclude with some general remarks on the future of this field.

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Dilute Alloys Based on Au, Ag, or Cu for Efficient Catalysis: From Synthesis to Active Sites

The development of new catalyst materials for energy-efficient chemical synthesis is critical as over 80% of industrial processes rely on catalysts, with many of the most energy-intensive processes specifically using heterogeneous catalysis. Catalytic performance is a complex interplay of phenomena involving temperature, pressure, gas composition, surface composition and structure over multiple length and time scales. In response to this complexity, the integrated approach to heterogeneous dilute-alloy catalysis reviewed here brings together materials synthesis, mechanistic surface chemistry, reaction kinetics, in-situ and operando characterization, and theoretical calculations in a coordinated effort to develop design principles to predict and improve catalytic selectivity. Dilute alloy catalysts—in which isolated atoms or small ensembles of the minority metal on the host metal lead to enhanced reactivity while retaining selectivity—are particularly promising as selective catalysts. Several dilute alloy materials using Au, Ag and Cu as the majority host element, including more recently introduced support-free nanoporous metals and oxide-supported nanoparticle "raspberry colloid templated (RCT)" materials, are reviewed for selective oxidation and hydrogenation reactions. Progress in understanding how such dilute alloy catalysts can be used to enhance selectivity of key synthetic reactions is reviewed, including quantitative scaling from model studies to catalytic conditions. The dynamic evolution of catalyst structure and composition studied in surface science and catalytic conditions and their relationship to catalytic function are also discussed, followed by advanced characterization and theoretical modeling that have been developed to determine the distribution of minority metal atoms at or near the surface. Furthermore, the integrated approach demonstrates the success of bridging the divide between fundamental knowledge and design of catalytic processes in complex catalytic systems, which can accelerate the development of new and efficient catalytic processes.

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Recent Developments in Revealing the Impact of Complex Metal Oxide Reconstruction on Catalysis

Surface reconstruction of complex metal oxides refers to the alterations of the topmost catalyst surface, relative to the bulk structure, following exposure to pretreatment or reaction conditions during heterogeneous catalysis. (1) This structural and electronic transformation may involve (1) changes of the exposed crystallographic facets, (2) changes in chemical composition, such as the enrichment of specific elements, and, (3) morphological variations, including surface roughness and defects (Scheme 1). Beyond relaxation, surface reconstruction here also encompasses disruptions to the periodicity of the sublayers and changes to its stoichiometry. This change significantly influences the chemical properties of the catalyst surface, such as redox sites, (2) acid/base pairs, hydroxyl groups, (3) and surface defects. Surface reconstruction occurs due to the thermodynamic drive to lower the surface energy of the catalyst under the surrounding environment (e.g., temperature, chemical potential of species present). In addition to the treatment or reaction conditions, the extent of reconstruction also depends on the elements in the metal oxide structure. For instance, annealing ABO 3 perovskites (SrTiO 3 , BaTiO 3 , and BaZrO 3 ) at high temperatures (500 °C) in O 2 has a very different impact on the A/B ratio at the surface (ranging from 0.9 to 2.5), depending on the identity of A and B. (4) Metal oxide surface reconstruction under an electric field and exposure to acidic and alkaline media has recently gained increased attention in electrocatalysis, such as in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER); (5,6) however, in this Viewpoint we focus on the impact of surface reconstruction on thermal catalysis, a critical enduring research theme with ongoing challenges. Here, we start showcasing approaches to characterize surface reconstruction at the topmost surface layer, such as low-energy ion scattering (LEIS), discussing advantages and limitations. Next, we connect characterization of surface reconstruction to site-specific kinetic analysis, enabled via steady-state isotopic transient kinetic analysis (SSITKA), and we express our viewpoint on building structure–performance relationships by deeply understanding reconstructed surfaces. Later, we comment on the potential of tuning surface reconstruction to enhance catalytic performance. Finally, we explore the interplay between surface reconstruction and the “intelligent behavior”.

alcohol conversion↗

Hydrogen Adsorption, Reactivity, and Catalysis on Colloidal Iron Carbide Nanoparticles

Supported iron carbide particles have long served as catalysts for CO hydrogenation (the Fischer Tropsch synthesis, FTS) and continue to be attractive. Despite this, little is known about their chemistry. Reported here is a colloidal Fe x C nanoparticle (NP) model system that allows direct observation of surface hydrogen and CO, as well as quantification of the surface H. Dodecylamine-capped Fe x C NPs (DDA-Fe x C NPs) were synthesized through solution-phase carburization of Fe NPs and form stable colloids in low-polarity organic solvents. Treatment of these colloids with H 2 or D 2 produced highly hydrogenated materials, and FTIR spectra of DDA-Fe x C-D n showed that most of the D binds to carbides, with at least four distinct v(C-D) modes. The surface C-H(D) bonds were all reactive, transferring hydrogen to alkenes and other reagents in solution. Titration and ICP measurements showed a 0.17:1 ratio of added H:total Fe, or roughly. 40 H per 1.8 nm DDA-Fe x C NP. Conversely, CO was preferentially bound to surface Fe sites, with FTIR spectra showing a single broad v(CO) that shifted with CO coverage or co-adsorption of H 2 . The DDA-Fe x C NPs were active catalysts for both olefin hydrogenation and the FTS, under mild conditions and without catalyst pre-treatment. The CO hydrogenation reactions yielded a broad distribution of long-chain linear paraffins and olefins. Though quantitative comparisons with typical FTS results are not possible because of our use of sealed batch reactors and other factors, the observations of high catalytic reactivity demonstrate the relevance of this model system to iron-carbide catalysis. DFT calculations on model slab surfaces with varying iron carbide stoichiometries revealed that the thermodynamically preferred surface adsorption sites are C for H ads and Fe for CO ads . A variety of binding sites and binding energies were found for each adsorbate. We are unaware of previous studies indicating that a diverse array of C-H bonds is the primary source of reactive H on iron carbides. Experimentally, the diversity of *C-H sites was evident in reactions with H-atom donors and abstractors of different strengths, from both the reaction stoichiometries and IR spectra. The different surface–H binding energies correlate with the v(C-D) stretching frequencies. Furthermore, these insights into complex iron carbide surfaces and catalysis could assist catalyst design, and they showcase the importance of stoichiometric studies of reaction intermediates.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Revealing a Hidden Intermediate of Rotatory Catalysis with X-ray Crystallography and Molecular Simulations

The mechanism of rotatory catalysis in ATPhydrolyzing molecular motors remains an unresolved puzzle in biological energy transfer. Notwithstanding the wealth of available biochemical and structural information inferred from years of experiments, knowledge on how the coupling between the chemical and mechanical steps within motors enforces directional rotatory movements remains fragmentary. Even more contentious is to pinpoint the rate-limiting step of a multistep rotation process. Here, using vacuolar or V 1 -type hexameric ATPase as an exemplary rotational motor, we present a model of the complete 4-step conformational cycle involved in rotatory catalysis. First, using Xray crystallography, a new intermediate or “dwell” is identified, which enables the release of an inorganic phosphate (or P i ) after ATP hydrolysis. Using molecular dynamics simulations, this new dwell is placed in a sequence with three other crystal structures to derive a putative cyclic rotation path. Free-energy simulations are employed to estimate the rate of the hexameric protein transformations and delineate allosteric effects that allow new reactant ATP entry only after hydrolysis product exit. An analysis of transfer entropy brings to light how the side-chain-level interactions transcend into larger-scale reorganizations, highlighting the role of the ubiquitous arginine-finger residues in coupling chemical and mechanical information. An inspection of all known rates encompassing the 4-step rotation mechanism implicates the overcoming of the ADP interactions with V 1 -ATPase to be the rate-limiting step of motor action.

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3 d-d Excited States of Ni(II) Complexes Relevant to Photoredox Catalysis: Spectroscopic Identification and Mechanistic Implications

Synthetic organic chemistry has seen major advances due to the merger of nickel and photoredox catalysis. A growing number of Ni-photoredox reactions are proposed to involve generation of excited nickel species, sometimes even in the absence of a photoredox catalyst. To gain insights about these excited states, two of our groups previously studied the photophysics of Ni( t-Bu bpy)(o-Tol)Cl, which is representative of proposed intermediates in many Ni-photoredox reactions. This complex was found to have a long-lived excited state (τ = 4 ns), which was computationally assigned as a metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) state with an energy of 1.6 eV (38 kcal/mol). This work evaluates the computational assignment experimentally using a series of related complexes. Ultrafast UV–Vis and mid-IR transient absorption data suggest that a MLCT state is generated initially upon excitation but decays to a long-lived state that is 3 d-d rather than 3 MLCT in character. Dynamic cis,trans-isomerization of the square planar complexes was observed in the dark using 1 H NMR techniques, supporting that this 3 d-d state is tetrahedral and accessible at ambient temperature. Through a combination of transient absorption and NMR studies, the 3 d-d state was determined to lie ~0.5 eV (12 kcal/mol) above the ground state. Because the 3 d-d state features a weak Ni–aryl bond, the excited Ni(II) complexes can undergo Ni homolysis to generate aryl radicals and Ni(I), both of which are supported experimentally. Thus, photoinduced Ni–aryl homolysis offers a novel mechanism of initiating catalysis by Ni(I).

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Photoenzymatic Catalysis in a New Light: Gluconobacter “Ene”-Reductase Conjugates Possessing High-Energy Reactivity with Tunable Low-Energy Excitation

Non-natural light-driven enzymatic reactivity was recently developed to perform the highly stereoselective reactions required for pharmaceutical synthesis. However, photoenzymes require high-intensity light to function because of the poor absorption properties of their photoactive intermediates. Inspired by the modular architecture of photosynthesis, we designed a conjugate composed of a covalently linked photoenzyme and a light antenna to separate light capture from catalysis. Spectroscopic characterization of the conjugate showed the presence of efficient energy transfer from the light-harvesting components to the photoenzyme. In the presence of energy transfer, a ~4-fold increase in product yield was observed for intramolecular hydroalkylation of alkenes, and reactivity was enabled for intermolecular hydroalkylation of alkenes. As a result, these improvements establish the power of incorporating nature’s design into non-natural photoenzymatic catalysis.

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Reversible Emulsions from Polyoxometalate–Polymer: A Robust Strategy to Cyclic Emulsion Catalysis and High-Internal-Phase Emulsion Materials

Reversible Pickering emulsions, achieved by switchable, interfacially active colloidal particles, that enable on-demand emulsification/demulsification or phase inversion, hold substantial promise for biphasic catalysis, emulsion polymerization, cutting fluids, and crude oil pipeline transportation. However, particles with such a responsive behavior usually require complex chemical syntheses and surface modifications, limiting their extensive use. Herein, we report a simple route to generate emulsions that can be controlled and reversibly undergo phase inversion. The emulsions are prepared and stabilized by the interfacial assembly of polyoxometalate (POM)–polymer, where their electrostatic interaction at the interface is dynamic. The wettability of the POMs that dictates the emulsion type can be readily regulated by tuning the number of polymer chains bound to POMs, which, in turn, can be controlled by varying the concentrations of both components and the water/oil ratio. In addition, the number of polymer chains anchored to the POMs can be varied by controlling the number of negative charges on the POMs through an in situ redox reaction. As such, a reversible inversion of the emulsions can be triggered by switching between exposure to ultraviolet light and the introduction of oxygen. Combining the functions of POM itself, a cyclic interfacial catalysis system was realized. Inversion of the emulsion also affords a pathway to high-internal-phase emulsions. Finally, the diversity of the POMs, the polymers, and the responsive switching groups open numerous new, simple strategies for designing a wide range of responsive soft matter for cargo loading, controlled release, and delivery in biomedical and engineering applications without time-consuming particle syntheses.

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Interplay of water and a supramolecular capsule for catalysis of reductive elimination reaction from gold

Abstract Supramolecular assemblies have gained tremendous attention due to their ability to catalyze reactions with the efficiencies of natural enzymes. Using ab initio molecular dynamics, we identify the origin of the catalysis by the supramolecular capsule Ga 4 L 6 12− on the reductive elimination reaction from gold complexes and assess their similarity to natural enzymes. By comparing the free energies of the reactants and transition states for the catalyzed and uncatalyzed reactions, we determine that an encapsulated water molecule generates electric fields that contributes the most to the reduction in the activation free energy. Although this is unlike the biomimetic scenario of catalysis through direct host-guest interactions, the electric fields from the nanocage also supports the transition state to complete the reductive elimination reaction with greater catalytic efficiency. However it is also shown that the nanocage poorly organizes the interfacial water, which in turn creates electric fields that misalign with the breaking bonds of the substrate, thus identifying new opportunities for catalytic design improvements in nanocage assemblies.

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