Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung

This review focuses on the synthesis, protection, functionalization, and application of magnetic nanoparticles, as well as the magnetic properties of nanostructured systems. Substantial progress in the size and shape control of magnetic nanoparticles has been made by developing methods such as co-precipitation, thermal decomposition and/or reduction, micelle synthesis, and hydrothermal synthesis. A major challenge still is protection against corrosion, and therefore suitable protection strategies will be emphasized, for example, surfactant/polymer coating, silica coating and carbon coating of magnetic nanoparticles or embedding them in a matrix/support. Properly protected magnetic nanoparticles can be used as building blocks for the fabrication of various functional systems, and their application in catalysis and biotechnology will be briefly reviewed. Finally, some future trends and perspectives in these research areas will be outlined.

In this contribution to the special software-centered issue, the ORCA program package is described. We start with a short historical perspective of how the project began and go on to discuss its current feature set. ORCA has grown into a rather comprehensive general-purpose package for theoretical research in all areas of chemistry and many neighboring disciplines such as materials sciences and biochemistry. ORCA features density functional theory, a range of wavefunction based correlation methods, semi-empirical methods, and even force-field methods. A range of solvation and embedding models is featured as well as a complete intrinsic to ORCA quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics engine. A specialty of ORCA always has been a focus on transition metals and spectroscopy as well as a focus on applicability of the implemented methods to "real-life" chemical applications involving systems with a few hundred atoms. In addition to being efficient, user friendly, and, to the largest extent possible, platform independent, ORCA features a number of methods that are either unique to ORCA or have been first implemented in the course of the ORCA development. Next to a range of spectroscopic and magnetic properties, the linear- or low-order single- and multi-reference local correlation methods based on pair natural orbitals (domain based local pair natural orbital methods) should be mentioned here. Consequently, ORCA is a widely used program in various areas of chemistry and spectroscopy with a current user base of over 22 000 registered users in academic research and in industry.

Abstract Version 5.0 of the ORCA quantum chemistry program suite was released in July 2021. ORCA 5.0 represents a major improvement over all previous versions of ORCA and features (1) highly improved performance, (2) increased numerical robustness, (3) a host of new functionality, and (4) greatly improved user friendliness. The article describes the most salient features of the program. This article is categorized under: Electronic Structure Theory > Ab Initio Electronic Structure Methods Data Science > Computer Algorithms and Programming Software > Quantum Chemistry

The catalysis by primary and secondary amines of electrophilic substitution reactions in the α-position of carbonyl compounds and related reactions via enamine intermediates is called enamine catalysis. To a large degree this chemistry can be considered the catalytic variant of the classical preformed enamine chemistry (Scheme 1) pioneered by Stork. In such transformations an enamine (III) is generated by reacting a carbonyl compound (I) with an amine (II) under dehydration conditions. Reaction of the enamine (III) can proceed via an addition (route A) or substitution (route B) route depending on the nature of the reaction partner (electrophile). In either case, iminium ions (IV) are usually formed, which are then hydrolyzed to afford the products (V). A vast array of transformations has been achieved via preformed enamine chemistry. Therefore, a catalytic version of this chemistry was highly desirable.

Abstract Two are better than one : Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods are the state‐of‐the‐art computational technique for treating reactive and other “electronic” processes in biomolecular systems. This Review presents the general methodological aspects of the QM/MM approach, its use within optimization and simulation techniques, and its areas of application, always with a biomolecular focus. magnified image Combined quantum‐mechanics/molecular‐mechanics (QM/MM) approaches have become the method of choice for modeling reactions in biomolecular systems. Quantum‐mechanical (QM) methods are required for describing chemical reactions and other electronic processes, such as charge transfer or electronic excitation. However, QM methods are restricted to systems of up to a few hundred atoms. However, the size and conformational complexity of biopolymers calls for methods capable of treating up to several 100 000 atoms and allowing for simulations over time scales of tens of nanoseconds. This is achieved by highly efficient, force‐field‐based molecular mechanics (MM) methods. Thus to model large biomolecules the logical approach is to combine the two techniques and to use a QM method for the chemically active region (e.g., substrates and co‐factors in an enzymatic reaction) and an MM treatment for the surroundings (e.g., protein and solvent). The resulting schemes are commonly referred to as combined or hybrid QM/MM methods. They enable the modeling of reactive biomolecular systems at a reasonable computational effort while providing the necessary accuracy.

The ability of platinum and gold catalysts to effect powerful atom-economic transformations has led to a marked increase in their utilization. The quite remarkable correlation of their catalytic behavior with the available structural data, coordination chemistry, and organometallic reactivity patterns, including relativistic effects, allows the underlying principles of catalytic carbophilic activation by pi acids to be formulated. The spectrum of reactivity extends beyond their utility as catalytic and benign alternatives to conventional stoichiometric pi acids. The resulting reactivity profile allows this entire field of catalysis to be rationalized, and brings together the apparently disparate electrophilic metal carbene and nonclassical carbocation explanations. The advances in coupling, cycloisomerization, and structural reorganization--from the design of new transformations to the improvement to known reactions--are highlighted in this Review. The application of platinum- and gold-catalyzed transformations in natural product synthesis is also discussed.

Lignin is an abundant biopolymer with a high carbon content and high aromaticity. Despite its potential as a raw material for the fuel and chemical industries, lignin remains the most poorly utilised of the lignocellulosic biopolymers. Effective valorisation of lignin requires careful fine-tuning of multiple "upstream" (i.e., lignin bioengineering, lignin isolation and "early-stage catalytic conversion of lignin") and "downstream" (i.e., lignin depolymerisation and upgrading) process stages, demanding input and understanding from a broad array of scientific disciplines. This review provides a "beginning-to-end" analysis of the recent advances reported in lignin valorisation. Particular emphasis is placed on the improved understanding of lignin's biosynthesis and structure, differences in structure and chemical bonding between native and technical lignins, emerging catalytic valorisation strategies, and the relationships between lignin structure and catalyst performance.

Computational de novo design of new drugs and materials requires rigorous and unbiased exploration of chemical compound space. However, large uncharted territories persist due to its size scaling combinatorially with molecular size. We report computed geometric, energetic, electronic, and thermodynamic properties for 134k stable small organic molecules made up of CHONF. These molecules correspond to the subset of all 133,885 species with up to nine heavy atoms (CONF) out of the GDB-17 chemical universe of 166 billion organic molecules. We report geometries minimal in energy, corresponding harmonic frequencies, dipole moments, polarizabilities, along with energies, enthalpies, and free energies of atomization. All properties were calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G(2df,p) level of quantum chemistry. Furthermore, for the predominant stoichiometry, C7H10O2, there are 6,095 constitutional isomers among the 134k molecules. We report energies, enthalpies, and free energies of atomization at the more accurate G4MP2 level of theory for all of them. As such, this data set provides quantum chemical properties for a relevant, consistent, and comprehensive chemical space of small organic molecules. This database may serve the benchmarking of existing methods, development of new methods, such as hybrid quantum mechanics/machine learning, and systematic identification of structure-property relationships.

The advent of well-defined catalysts for olefin metathesis which combine high activity, durability, and excellent tolerance towards polar functional groups has revolutionized the field. The past decade has seen the rapid embrace of these reagents as tools for advanced organic and polymer chemistry and the success of this development is witnessed by a plethora of elegant applications to the synthesis of natural and nonnatural products. This review article provides an overview of these developments and intends to familiarize the reader with some very recent advances which hold the promise to expand the scope of the reaction even further. Moreover, the positive impact of metathesis on the fundamental logic of retrosynthetic planning is demonstrated by means of typical examples. Finally, it will be shown that metathesis is by no means restricted to alkenes as substrates, and some comments on metathesis reactions following unconventional mechanistic pathways will also be presented.

Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier in future energy systems. However, storage of hydrogen is a substantial challenge, especially for applications in vehicles with fuel cells that use proton-exchange membranes (PEMs). Different methods for hydrogen storage are discussed, including high-pressure and cryogenic-liquid storage, adsorptive storage on high-surface-area adsorbents, chemical storage in metal hydrides and complex hydrides, and storage in boranes. For the latter chemical solutions, reversible options and hydrolytic release of hydrogen with off-board regeneration are both possible. Reforming of liquid hydrogen-containing compounds is also a possible means of hydrogen generation. The advantages and disadvantages of the different systems are compared.

A model is presented to explain the formation and morphologies of surfactant-silicate mesostructures. Three processes are identified: multidentate binding of silicate oligomers to the cationic surfactant, preferential silicate polymerization in the interface region, and charge density matching between the surfactant and the silicate. The model explains present experimental data, including the transformation between lamellar and hexagonal mesophases, and provides a guide for predicting conditions that favor the formation of lamellar, hexagonal, or cubic mesostructures. Model Q(230) proposed by Mariani and his co-workers satisfactorily fits the x-ray data collected on the cubic mesostructure material. This model suggests that the silicate polymer forms a unique infinite silicate sheet sitting on the gyroid minimal surface and separating the surfactant molecules into two disconnected volumes.

The organization of cationic or anionic organic and inorganic molecular species to produce three-dimensional periodic biphase arrays is described. The approach uses cooperative nucleation of molecular inorganic solution species with surfactant molecules and their assembly at low temperatures into liquid-crystal-like arrays. The organic/inorganic interface chemistry makes use of four synthesis routes with (S+I-), (S-I+), (S+X-I+), and (S-M+I-) direct and mediated combinations of surfactant (cationic S+, anionic S-) and soluble inorganic (cationic I+, anionic I-) molecular species. The concepts can be widely applied to generate inorganic oxide, phosphate or sulfide framework compositions. Distinct lamellar, cubic silica mesophases were synthesized in a concentrated acidic medium (S+X-I+), with the hexagonal and the cubic phases showing good thermal stability. For the hexagonal mesostructured silica materials high BET surface areas (>1000 m<sub>2</sub>/g) are found. Hexagonal tungsten(V1) oxide materials were prepared in the presence of quaternary ammonium surfactants in the pH range 4-8. Cubic (Ia3d) and hexagonal antimony(V) oxides were obtained by acidifying (pH = 6-7) homogeneous solutions of soluble Sb(V) anions and quaternary ammonium surfactants at room temperature (S+I-). Using anionic surfactants, hexagonal and lamellar lead oxide mesostructures were found (S-I+). Crystalline zinc phosphate lamellar phases were obtained at low synthesis temperatures (4°C) and lamellar sulfide phases could be also readily generated at room temperature. The synthesis procedure presented is relevant to the coorganization of organic and inorganic phases in biomineralization processes, and some of the biomimetic implications are discussed.

Abstract Nanocasting is a powerful method for creating materials that are more difficult to synthesize by conventional processes. We summarize recent developments in the synthesis of various structured porous solids, covering silica, carbon, and other nonsiliceous solids that are created by a nanocasting pathway. Structure replication on the nanometer length scale allows materials' properties to be manipulated in a controlled manner, such as tunable composition, controllable structure and morphology, and specific functionality. The nanocasting pathway with hard templates opens the door to the design of highly porous solids with multifunctional properties and interesting application perspectives.

A theoretical perspective on the structure and mechanisms of cytochrome P450 enzymes is given. Theoretical analyses based on quantum mechanical and hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical methods that allow the study of the active species in their native protein environment are discussed. Furthermore, a brief summary of the available theoretical methods is presented as well as the various species in the catalytic cycle and the principal mechanisms by which the enzyme transfers oxygen to the organic substrates.

Transition metal catalysts, particularly those derived from the group VIII-X metals, display remarkable efficiency for the formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds through the reactions of suitable nucleophiles with organic electrophilic partners. Within this subset of the periodic table, palladium and nickel complexes offer the broadest utility, while additionally providing the deepest mechanistic insight into thus-termed "cross-coupling reactions". The mammoth effort devoted to palladium and nickel catalysts over the past 30 years has somewhat obscured reports of alternative metal complexes in this arena. As cross-coupling reactions have evolved into a critical support for modern synthetic chemistry, the search for alternative catalysts has been taken up with renewed vigor.When the current generation of synthetic chemists reflects back to the origins of cross coupling for inspiration, the well-documented effect of iron salts on the reactivity of Grignard reagents with organic electrophiles surfaces as a fertile ground for alternative catalyst development. Iron possesses the practical benefits more befitting an alkali or alkaline earth metal, while displaying the unique reactivity of a d-block element. Therefore the search for broadly applicable iron catalysts for cross coupling is an increasingly important goal in modern synthetic organic chemistry.This Account describes the evolution of iron-catalyzed cross coupling from its inception in the work of Kochi to the present. Specific emphasis is placed on reactivity and synthetic applications, with selected examples from acyl-, alkenyl-, aryl-, and alkyl halide/pseudohalide cross coupling included. The typical reaction partners are Grignard reagents, though organomanganese, -copper, and -zinc derivatives have also been used in certain cases. Such iron-catalyzed processes occur very rapidly even at low temperature and therefore are distinguished by broad functional group compatibility. Furthermore, recent advances in carbon-heteroatom bond formation and studies relevant to the general reactivity of in situ generated and structurally defined "low-valent" iron catalysts are presented.The preparative aspects of iron-catalyzed cross coupling are encouraging, but the inclination to classify these processes within the characteristic reaction manifold is premature, as mechanistic studies have evolved at a comparatively slow pace. A typical protocol for cross coupling employs an Fe(+2) or Fe(+3) precatalyst, which is reduced in situ by the organometallic nucleophile. The nature of the resulting active component(s) is still best described, more than 30 years later, in Kochi's original terms as a "reduced form of soluble iron". Despite huge gaps in our current knowledge, three distinct mechanisms have been formulated, largely based on empirical evidence: a "canonical" cross-coupling process, a manifold wherein alkylation of an organoiron intermediate replaces transmetalation as a key step, and finally a proposal reliant on the formation of nucleophilic ate complexes. Conjecture and speculation abound, but precisely what constitutes the catalytic cycle in iron-catalyzed cross coupling remains an extremely challenging unanswered question.

While Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies are being developed with the focus of capturing and storing CO2 in huge quantities, new methods for the chemical exploitation of carbon dioxide (CCU) are being developed in parallel. The intensified chemical or physical utilization of CO2 is targeted at generating value from a limited part of the CO2 stream and developing better and more efficient chemical processes with reduced CO2 footprint. Here, we compare the status of the three main lines of CCS technologies with respect to efficiency, energy consumption, and technical feasibility as well as the implications of CCS on the efficiency and structure of the energy supply chain.

This critical review intends to familiarize the reader with the essence of pi-acid catalysis, in particular with reactions or reaction cascades effected by gold and platinum complexes. Even though materialized in apparently different reactivity modes, such noble metal catalyzed processes can be easily rationalized on the basis of a uniform mechanistic scheme that is outlined in detail. The resulting increase in molecular complexity is illustrated by selected natural product total syntheses and the formation of various intricate non-natural compounds (106 references).

The utilization of CO2 via electrochemical reduction constitutes a promising approach toward production of value-added chemicals or fuels using intermittent renewable energy sources. For this purpose, molecular electrocatalysts are frequently studied and the recent progress both in tuning of the catalytic properties and in mechanistic understanding is truly remarkable. While in earlier years research efforts were focused on complexes with rare metal centers such as Re, Ru, and Pd, the focus has recently shifted toward earth-abundant transition metals such as Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni. By application of appropriate ligands, these metals have been rendered more than competitive for CO2 reduction compared to the heavier homologues. In addition, the important roles of the second and outer coordination spheres in the catalytic processes have become apparent, and metal–ligand cooperativity has recently become a well-established tool for further tuning of the catalytic behavior. Surprising advances have also been made with very simple organocatalysts, although the mechanisms behind their reactivity are not yet entirely understood. Herein, the developments of the last three decades in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction with homogeneous catalysts are reviewed. A discussion of the underlying mechanistic principles is included along with a treatment of the experimental and computational techniques for mechanistic studies and catalyst benchmarking. Important catalyst families are discussed in detail with regard to mechanistic aspects, and recent advances in the field are highlighted.

TURBOMOLE is a collaborative, multi-national software development project aiming to provide highly efficient and stable computational tools for quantum chemical simulations of molecules, clusters, periodic systems, and solutions. The TURBOMOLE software suite is optimized for widely available, inexpensive, and resource-efficient hardware such as multi-core workstations and small computer clusters. TURBOMOLE specializes in electronic structure methods with outstanding accuracy-cost ratio, such as density functional theory including local hybrids and the random phase approximation (RPA), GW-Bethe-Salpeter methods, second-order Møller-Plesset theory, and explicitly correlated coupled-cluster methods. TURBOMOLE is based on Gaussian basis sets and has been pivotal for the development of many fast and low-scaling algorithms in the past three decades, such as integral-direct methods, fast multipole methods, the resolution-of-the-identity approximation, imaginary frequency integration, Laplace transform, and pair natural orbital methods. This review focuses on recent additions to TURBOMOLE's functionality, including excited-state methods, RPA and Green's function methods, relativistic approaches, high-order molecular properties, solvation effects, and periodic systems. A variety of illustrative applications along with accuracy and timing data are discussed. Moreover, available interfaces to users as well as other software are summarized. TURBOMOLE's current licensing, distribution, and support model are discussed, and an overview of TURBOMOLE's development workflow is provided. Challenges such as communication and outreach, software infrastructure, and funding are highlighted.

The field of asymmetric organocatalysis is rapidly developing and attracts an increasing number of research groups around the world. Here we present a brief overview of this area, guided by a mechanistic classification. Accordingly, organocatalysts are categorized as either Lewis base, Lewis acid, Brønsted base, or Brønsted acid catalysts.