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Song Z, Zhu C, Gong K, Wang R, Zhang J, Zhao S, Li Z, Zhang X, Xie J. Deciphering the Microdroplet Acceleration Factors of Aza-Michael Addition Reactions. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:10963-10972. [PMID: 38567839 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c02312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
Microdroplet chemistry is emerging as a great tool for accelerating reactions by several orders of magnitude. Several unique properties such as extreme pHs, interfacial electric fields (IEFs), and partial solvation have been reported to be responsible for the acceleration; however, which factor plays the key role remains elusive. Here, we performed quantum chemical calculations to explore the underlying mechanisms of an aza-Michael addition reaction between methylamine and acrylamide. We showed that the acceleration in methanol microdroplets results from the cumulative effects of several factors. The acidic surface of the microdroplet plays a dominating role, leading to a decrease of ∼9 kcal/mol in the activation barrier. We speculated that the dissociation of both methanol and trace water contributes to the surface acidity. An IEF of 0.1 V/Å can further decrease the barrier by ∼2 kcal/mol. Partial solvation has a negligible effect on lowering the activation barrier in microdroplets but can increase the collision frequency between reactants. With acidity revealed to be the major accelerating factor for methanol droplets, reactions on water microdroplets should have even higher rates because water is more acidic. Both theoretically and experimentally, we confirmed that water microdroplets significantly accelerate the aza-Michael reaction, achieving an acceleration factor that exceeds 107. This work elucidates the multifactorial influences on the microdroplet acceleration mechanism, and with such detailed mechanistic investigations, we anticipate that microdroplet chemistry will be an avenue rich in opportunities in the realm of green synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhexuan Song
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Chenghui Zhu
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Ke Gong
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Ruijing Wang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Jianze Zhang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Supin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Zesheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xinxing Zhang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Jing Xie
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
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2
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Fang YG, Tang B, Yuan C, Wan Z, Zhao L, Zhu S, Francisco JS, Zhu C, Fang WH. Mechanistic insight into the competition between interfacial and bulk reactions in microdroplets through N 2O 5 ammonolysis and hydrolysis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2347. [PMID: 38491022 PMCID: PMC10943240 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46674-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Reactive uptake of dinitrogen pentaoxide (N2O5) into aqueous aerosols is a major loss channel for NOx in the troposphere; however, a quantitative understanding of the uptake mechanism is lacking. Herein, a computational chemistry strategy is developed employing high-level quantum chemical methods; the method offers detailed molecular insight into the hydrolysis and ammonolysis mechanisms of N2O5 in microdroplets. Specifically, our calculations estimate the bulk and interfacial hydrolysis rates to be (2.3 ± 1.6) × 10-3 and (6.3 ± 4.2) × 10-7 ns-1, respectively, and ammonolysis competes with hydrolysis at NH3 concentrations above 1.9 × 10-4 mol L-1. The slow interfacial hydrolysis rate suggests that interfacial processes have negligible effect on the hydrolysis of N2O5 in liquid water. In contrast, N2O5 ammonolysis in liquid water is dominated by interfacial processes due to the high interfacial ammonolysis rate. Our findings and strategy are applicable to high-chemical complexity microdroplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye-Guang Fang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, CAS Centre for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Centre for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Bo Tang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Chang Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Zhengyi Wan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lei Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Shuang Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Joseph S Francisco
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Chongqin Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.
| | - Wei-Hai Fang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
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3
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Ben-Amotz D. Interfacial chemical reactivity enhancement. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:084704. [PMID: 38391019 DOI: 10.1063/5.0186945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Interfacial enhancements of chemical reaction equilibria and rates in liquid droplets are predicted using a combined theoretical and experimental analysis strategy. Self-consistent solutions of reaction and adsorption equilibria indicate that interfacial reactivity enhancement is driven primarily by the adsorption free energy of the product (or activated complex). Reactant surface activity has a smaller indirect influence on reactivity due to compensating reactant interfacial concentration and adsorption free energy changes, as well as adsorption-induced depletion of the droplet core. Experimental air-water interfacial adsorption free energies and critical micelle concentration correlations provide quantitative surface activity estimates as a function of molecular structure, predicting an increase in interfacial reactivity with increasing product size and decreasing product polarity, aromaticity, and charge (but less so for anions than cations). Reactions with small, neutral, or charged products are predicted to have little reactivity enhancement at an air-water interface unless the product is rendered sufficiently surface active by, for example, interactions with interfacial water dangling OH groups, charge transfer, or voltage fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dor Ben-Amotz
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
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4
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Song X, Basheer C, Zare RN. Water Microdroplets-Initiated Methane Oxidation. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:27198-27204. [PMID: 38054976 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
The special redox reactivity of water microdroplets causes "mild ignition" of methane gas to form methane oxygenates. The C(sp3)-H bond of methane can be activated by the hydroxyl radical (OH·) or the hydrogen radical (H·) across the air-water interface (AWI) of microdroplets to generate the methyl radical (CH3·). Once CH3· is formed, it undergoes free-radical reactions with O2 in the air, excessive OH· and H· across the AWI, and H2O2 present at the AWI and generated CH3· itself to produce methanol and other species. Production of the methanol and other oxygenates was confirmed by gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and 1H- and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance. Formic acid, acetic acid, ethanol, carbon dioxide, and methyl peroxide were also detected as methane oxidation byproducts. This water microdroplet-initiated oxidation process can be further enhanced under ultrasonication to yield 2.66 ± 0.77 mM methanol conversion from the methane gas in a single spray run for 30 min, with a selectivity of 19.2% compared with all other oxygenated species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Song
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Chanbasha Basheer
- Chemistry Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Richard N Zare
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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5
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Song Z, Liang C, Gong K, Zhao S, Yuan X, Zhang X, Xie J. Harnessing the High Interfacial Electric Fields on Water Microdroplets to Accelerate Menshutkin Reactions. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:26003-26008. [PMID: 38011046 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c11650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Even though it is still an emerging field, the application of a high external electric field (EEF) as a green and efficient catalyst in synthetic chemistry has recently received significant attention for the ability to deliver remarkable control of reaction selectivity and acceleration of reaction rates. Here, we extend the application of the EEF to Menshutkin reactions by taking advantage of the spontaneous high electric field at the air-water interfaces of sprayed water microdroplets. Experimentally, a series of Menshutkin reactions were accelerated by 7 orders of magnitude. Theoretically, both density functional theory calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations predict that the reaction barrier decreases significantly in the presence of oriented external electric fields, thereby supporting the notion that the electric fields in the water droplets are responsible for the catalysis. In addition, the ordered solvent and reactant molecules oriented by the electric field alleviate the steric effect of solvents and increase the successful collision rates, thus facilitating faster nucleophilic attack. The success of Menshutkin reactions in this study showcases the great potential of microdroplet chemistry for green synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhexuan Song
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Chiyu Liang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Ke Gong
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Supin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xu Yuan
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Xinxing Zhang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jing Xie
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
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6
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Ge Q, Liu Y, You W, Wang W, Li K, Ruan X, Xie L, Wang T, Zhang L. Prebiotic synthesis of mineral-bearing microdroplet from inorganic carbon photoreduction at air-water interface. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad389. [PMID: 38034096 PMCID: PMC10682977 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
The origin of life on Earth is an enigmatic and intricate conundrum that has yet to be comprehensively resolved despite recent significant developments within the discipline of archaeology and geology. Chemically, metal-sulfide minerals are speculated to serve as an important medium for giving birth in early life, while yet so far direct evidence to support the hypothesis for the highly efficient conversion of inorganic carbon into praxiological biomolecules remains scarce. In this work, we provide an initial indication that sphalerite, employed as a typical mineral, shows its enormous capability for promoting the conversion of inorganic carbon into elementary biomolecule formic acid (HCOOH) in airborne mineral-bearing aerosol microdroplet, which is over two orders of magnitude higher than that of the corresponding conventional bulk-like aqueous phase medium in the environment (e.g. river, lake, sea, etc.). This significant enhancement was further validated by a wide range of minerals and clays, including CuS, NiS, CoS, CdS, MnS, elemental sulfur, Arizona Test Dust, loess, nontronite, and montmorillonite. We reveal that the abundant interface of unique physical-chemical features instinct for aerosol or cloud microdroplets reduces the reaction energy barrier for the reaction, thus leading to extremely high HCOOH production (2.52 × 1014 kg year-1). This study unfolds unrecognized remarkable contributions of the considered scheme in the accumulation of prebiotic biomolecules in the ancient period of the Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyue Ge
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Yangyang Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Wenbo You
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Wei Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Kejian Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Xuejun Ruan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Lifang Xie
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Tao Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
| | - Liwu Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, IRDR International Center of Excellence on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
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7
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Wu YJ, Takahashi K, Lin JJM. Kinetics of the Simplest Criegee Intermediate Reaction with Water Vapor: Revisit and Isotope Effect. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:8059-8072. [PMID: 37734061 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.3c03418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
The kinetics of the simplest Criegee intermediate (CH2OO) reaction with water vapor was revisited. By improving the signal-to-noise ratio and the precision of water concentration, we found that the kinetics of CH2OO involves not only two water molecules but also one and three water molecules. Our experimental results suggest that the decay of CH2OO can be described as d[CH2OO]/dt = -kobs[CH2OO]; kobs = k0 + k1[water] + k2[water]2 + k3[water]3; k1 = (4.22 ± 0.48) × 10-16 cm3 s-1, k2 = (10.66 ± 0.83) × 10-33 cm6 s-1, k3 = (1.48 ± 0.17) × 10-50 cm9 s-1 at 298 K and 300 Torr with the respective Arrhenius activation energies of Ea1 = 1.8 ± 1.1 kcal mol-1, Ea2 = -11.1 ± 2.1 kcal mol-1, Ea3 = -17.4 ± 3.9 kcal mol-1. The contribution of the k3[water]3 term becomes less significant at higher temperatures around 345 K, but it is not ignorable at 298 K and lower temperatures. By quantifying the concentrations of H2O and D2O with a Coriolis-type direct mass flow sensor, the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) was investigated at 298 K and 300 Torr and KIE(k1) = k1(H2O)/k1(D2O) = 1.30 ± 0.32; similarly, KIE(k2) = 2.25 ± 0.44 and KIE(k3) = 0.99 ± 0.13. These mild KIE values are consistent with theoretical calculations based on the variational transition state theory, confirming that the title reaction has a broad and low barrier, and the reaction coordinate involves not only the motion of a hydrogen atom but also that of an oxygen atom. Comparing the results recorded under 300 Torr (N2 buffer gas) with those under 600 Torr, a weak pressure effect of k3 was found. From quantum chemistry calculations, we found that the CH2OO + 3H2O reaction is dominated by the reaction pathways involving a ring structure consisting of two water molecules, which facilitate the hydrogen atom transfer, while the third water molecule is hydrogen-bonded outside the ring. Furthermore, analysis based on dipole capture rates showed that the CH2OO(H2O) + (H2O)2 and CH2OO(H2O)2 + H2O pathways will dominate in the three water reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yen-Ju Wu
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 106923, Taiwan
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106923, Taiwan
| | - Kaito Takahashi
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 106923, Taiwan
| | - Jim Jr-Min Lin
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 106923, Taiwan
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106923, Taiwan
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8
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Zhu C, Pham LN, Yuan X, Ouyang H, Coote ML, Zhang X. High Electric Fields on Water Microdroplets Catalyze Spontaneous and Fast Reactions in Halogen-Bond Complexes. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:21207-21212. [PMID: 37724917 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
The use of external electric fields as green and efficient catalysts in synthetic chemistry has recently received significant attention for their ability to deliver remarkable control of reaction selectivity and acceleration of reaction rates. Technically, methods of generating high electric fields in the range of 1-10 V/nm are limited, as in-vacuo techniques have obvious scalability issues. The spontaneous high fields at various interfaces promise to solve this problem. In this study, we take advantage of the spontaneous high electric field at the air-water interface of sprayed water microdroplets in the reactions of several halogen bond systems: Nu:--X-X, where Nu: is pyridine or quinuclidine and X is bromine or iodine. The field facilitates ultrafast electron transfer from Nu:, yielding a Nu-X covalent bond and causing the X-X bond to cleave. This reaction occurs in microseconds in microdroplets but takes days to weeks in bulk solution. Density functional theory calculations predict that the reaction becomes barrier-free in the presence of oriented external electric fields, supporting the notion that the electric fields in the water droplets are responsible for the catalysis. We anticipate that microdroplet chemistry will be an avenue rich in opportunities in the reactions facilitated by high electric fields and provides an alternative way to tackle the scalability problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenghui Zhu
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Le Nhan Pham
- Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Xu Yuan
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Haoran Ouyang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Michelle L Coote
- Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Xinxing Zhang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
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9
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Ng WP, Liang Q, Yang J. Low-Data Deep Quantum Chemical Learning for Accurate MP2 and Coupled-Cluster Correlations. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:5439-5449. [PMID: 37506400 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Accurate ab initio prediction of electronic energies is very expensive for macromolecules by explicitly solving post-Hartree-Fock equations. We here exploit the physically justified local correlation feature in a compact basis of small molecules and construct an expressive low-data deep neural network (dNN) model to obtain machine-learned electron correlation energies on par with MP2 and CCSD levels of theory for more complex molecules and different datasets that are not represented in the training set. We show that our dNN-powered model is data efficient and makes highly transferable predictions across alkanes of various lengths, organic molecules with non-covalent and biomolecular interactions, as well as water clusters of different sizes and morphologies. In particular, by training 800 (H2O)8 clusters with the local correlation descriptors, accurate MP2/cc-pVTZ correlation energies up to (H2O)128 can be predicted with a small random error within chemical accuracy from exact values, while a majority of prediction deviations are attributed to an intrinsically systematic error. Our results reveal that an extremely compact local correlation feature set, which is poor for any direct post-Hartree-Fock calculations, has however a prominent advantage in reserving important electron correlation patterns for making accurate transferable predictions across distinct molecular compositions, bond types, and geometries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wai-Pan Ng
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
- Hong Kong Quantum AI Lab Limited, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Qiujiang Liang
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Jun Yang
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
- Hong Kong Quantum AI Lab Limited, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
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10
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Jin S, Chen H, Yuan X, Xing D, Wang R, Zhao L, Zhang D, Gong C, Zhu C, Gao X, Chen Y, Zhang X. The Spontaneous Electron-Mediated Redox Processes on Sprayed Water Microdroplets. JACS AU 2023; 3:1563-1571. [PMID: 37388681 PMCID: PMC10301804 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Water is considered as an inert environment for the dispersion of many chemical systems. However, by simply spraying bulk water into microsized droplets, the water microdroplets have been shown to possess a large plethora of unique properties, including the ability to accelerate chemical reactions by several orders of magnitude compared to the same reactions in bulk water, and/or to trigger spontaneous reactions that cannot occur in bulk water. A high electric field (∼109 V/m) at the air-water interface of microdroplets has been postulated to be the probable cause of the unique chemistries. This high field can even oxidize electrons out of hydroxide ions or other closed-shell molecules dissolved in water, forming radicals and electrons. Subsequently, the electrons can trigger further reduction processes. In this Perspective, by showing a large number of such electron-mediated redox reactions, and by studying the kinetics of these reactions, we opine that the redox reactions on sprayed water microdroplets are essentially processes using electrons as the charge carriers. The potential impacts of the redox capability of microdroplets are also discussed in a larger context of synthetic chemistry and atmospheric chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuihui Jin
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Huan Chen
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Xu Yuan
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Dong Xing
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Ruijing Wang
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Lingling Zhao
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Dongmei Zhang
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Chu Gong
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Chenghui Zhu
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Xufeng Gao
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Yeye Chen
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Xinxing Zhang
- College
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry
(Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Centre,
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers
Science Centre for New Organic Matter, Nankai
University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Haihe
Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, China
- Beijing
National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| |
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