Molecular Views on Mechanisms of Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Reactions in Zeolites

The Brønsted acidity of proton-exchanged zeolites has historically led to the most impactful applications of these materials in heterogeneous catalysis, mainly in the fields of transformations of hydrocarbons and oxygenates. Unravelling the mechanisms at the atomic scale of these transformations has been the object of tremendous efforts in the last decades. Such investigations have extended our fundamental knowledge about the respective roles of acidity and confinement in the catalytic properties of proton exchanged zeolites. The emerging concepts are of general relevance at the crossroad of heterogeneous catalysis and molecular chemistry. In the present review, emphasis is given to molecular views on the mechanism of generic transformations catalyzed by Brønsted acid sites of zeolites, combining the information gained from advanced kinetic analysis, in situ, and operando spectroscopies, and quantum chemistry calculations. After reviewing the current knowledge on the nature of the Brønsted acid sites themselves, and the key parameters in catalysis by zeolites, a focus is made on reactions undergone by alkenes, alkanes, aromatic molecules, alcohols, and polyhydroxy molecules. Elementary events of C-C, C-H, and C-O bond breaking and formation are at the core of these reactions. Outlooks are given to take up the future challenges in the field, aiming at getting ever more accurate views on these mechanisms, and as the ultimate goal, to provide rational tools for the design of improved zeolite-based Brønsted acid catalysts.

Thermal Treatment Effect on CO and NO Adsorption on Fe(II) and Fe(III) Species in Fe3O-Based MIL-Type Metal-Organic Frameworks: A Density Functional Theory Study

The properties of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on triiron oxo-centered (Fe₃O) metal nodes are often related to the efficiency of the removal of the solvent molecules and the counteranion chemisorbed on the Fe₃O unit by postsynthetic thermal treatment. Temperature, time, and the reaction environment play a significant role in modifying key features of the materials, that is, the number of open metal sites and the reduction of Fe(III) centers to Fe(II). IR spectroscopy allows the inspection of these postsynthetic modifications by using carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide (NO) as probe molecules. However, the reference data sets are based on spectra recorded for iron zeolites and oxides, whose structures are different from the Fe₃O one. We used density functional theory to study how the adsorption enthalpy and the vibrational bands of CO and NO are modified upon dehydration and reduction of Fe₃O metal nodes. We obtained a set of theoretical spectra that can model the modification observed in previously reported experimental spectra. Several CO and NO bands were previously assigned to heterogeneous Fe(II) and Fe(III) sites, suggesting a large defectivity of the materials. On the basis of the calculations, we propose an alternative assignment of these bands by considering only crystallographic iron sites. These findings affect the common description of Fe₃O-based MOFs as highly defective materials. We expect these results to be of interest to the large community of scientists working on Fe(II)- and Fe(III)-based MOFs and related materials.

Thermal treatment of triiron oxo-centered (Fe₃O)-based metal−organic frameworks is a common postsynthetic method to determine the material performances in many applications: we used density functional theory methods to study how the efficacy of the treatment modifies the energetics and the vibrational bands of nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide. The obtained data set is meant to be part of the characterization toolboxes aimed at the assessment of thermal treatment protocols.

Dehydration of butanol towards butenes over MFI, FAU and MOR: influence of zeolite topology

The effect of zeolite topology on the kinetics, selectivity and catalyst stability for the dehydration of butanol is studied experimentally and through microkinetic modeling.

Microkinetic Analysis and Scaling Relations for Catalyst Design

Microkinetic analysis plays an important role in catalyst design because it provides insight into the fundamental surface chemistry that controls catalyst performance. In this review, we summarize the development of microkinetic models and the inclusion of scaling relationships in these models. We discuss the importance of achieving stoichiometric and thermodynamic consistency in developing microkinetic models. We also outline how analysis of the maximum rates of elementary steps can be used to determine which transition states and adsorbed intermediates are kinetically significant, allowing the derivation of general reaction kinetics rate expressions in terms of changes in binding energies of the relevant transition states and intermediates. Through these analyses, we present how to predict optimal surface coverages and binding energies of adsorbed species, as well as the extent of potential rate improvement for a catalytic system. For systems in which the extent of potential rate improvement is small because of limitations imposed by scaling relations, different approaches, including the addition of promoters and formation of catalysts containing multiple functionalities, can be used to break the scaling relations and obtain further rate enhancement.

Computational Design of Functionalized Metal-Organic Framework Nodes for Catalysis

Recent progress in the synthesis and characterization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has opened the door to an increasing number of possible catalytic applications. The great versatility of MOFs creates a large chemical space, whose thorough experimental examination becomes practically impossible. Therefore, computational modeling is a key tool to support, rationalize, and guide experimental efforts. In this outlook we survey the main methodologies employed to model MOFs for catalysis, and we review selected recent studies on the functionalization of their nodes. We pay special attention to catalytic applications involving natural gas conversion.

Effect of zeolite confinement on the conversion of 1-butanol to butene isomers: mechanistic insights from DFT based microkinetic modelling

First principles microkinetic modelling shows that, unlike in H-ZSM-5 and H-ZSM-22, trans-2-butene formation in H-FER occurs via direct dehydration of 1-butanol.