Prediction of 195Pt NMR chemical shifts of dissolution products of H2[Pt(OH)6] in nitric acid solutions by DFT methods: how important are the counter‐ion effects?

¹⁹⁵Pt NMR chemical shifts of octahedral Pt(IV) complexes with general formula [Pt(NO₃)_n(OH)_{6 ? n}]^2?, [Pt(NO₃)_n(OH₂)_{6 ? n}]^{4 ? n} (n = 1–6), and [Pt(NO₃)_{6 ? n ? m}(OH)_m(OH₂)_n]^{?2 + n ? m} formed by dissolution of platinic acid, H₂[Pt(OH)₆], in aqueous nitric acid solutions are calculated employing density functional theory methods. Particularly, the gauge‐including atomic orbitals (GIAO)‐PBE0/segmented all‐electron relativistically contracted–zeroth‐order regular approximation (SARC–ZORA)(Pt) ∪ 6–31G(d,p)(E)/Polarizable Continuum Model computational protocol performs the best. Excellent second‐order polynomial plots of δ_calcd(¹⁹⁵Pt) versus δ_exptl(¹⁹⁵Pt) chemical shifts and δ_calcd(¹⁹⁵Pt) versus the natural atomic charge Q_Pt are obtained. Despite of neglecting relativistic and spin orbit effects the good agreement of the calculated δ ¹⁹⁵Pt chemical shifts with experimental values is probably because of the fact that the contribution of relativistic and spin orbit effects to computed σ^{iso 195}Pt magnetic shielding of Pt(IV) coordination compounds is effectively cancelled in the computed δ ¹⁹⁵Pt chemical shifts, because the relativistic corrections are expected to be similar in the complexes and the proper reference standard used. To probe the counter‐ion effects on the ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR chemical shifts of the anionic [Pt(NO₃)_n(OH)_{6 ? n}]^2? and cationic [Pt(NO₃)_n(OH₂)_{6 ? n}]^{4 ? n} (n = 0–3) complexes we calculated the ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR chemical shifts of the neutral (PyH)₂[Pt(NO₃)_n(OH)_{6 ? n}] (n = 1–6; PyH = pyridinium cation, C₅H₅NH⁺) and [Pt(NO₃)_n(H₂O)_{6 ? n}](NO₃)_{4 ? n} (n = 0–3) complexes. Counter‐anion effects are very important for the accurate prediction of the ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR chemical shifts of the cationic [Pt(NO₃)_n(OH₂)_{6 ? n}]^{4 ? n} complexes, while counter‐cation effects are less important for the anionic [Pt(NO₃)_n(OH)_{6 ? n}]^2? complexes. The simple computational protocol is easily implemented even by synthetic chemists in platinum coordination chemistry that dispose limited software availability, or locally existing routines and knowhow. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Active Sites of a Rod‐Shaped Hollandite DeNOx Catalyst

The identification of catalytically active sites (CASs) in heterogeneous catalysis is of vital importance to design and develop improved catalysts, but remains a great challenge. The CASs have been identified in the low‐temperature selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides by ammonia (SCR) over a hollandite manganese oxide (HMO) catalyst with a rod‐shaped morphology and one‐dimensional tunnels. Electron microscopy and synchrotron X‐ray diffraction determine the surface and crystal structures of the one‐dimensional HMO rods closed by {100} side facets and {001} top facets. A combination of X‐ray absorption spectra, molecular probes with potassium and nitric oxide, and catalytic tests reveals that the CASs are located on the {100} side facets of the HMO rods rather than on the top facets or in the tunnels, and hence semi‐tunnel structural motifs on the {100} facets are evidenced to be the CASs of the SCR reaction. This work paves the way to further investigate the intrinsic mechanisms of SCR reactions.     

Influence of Functional Groups and Modi cation Sites of Metal-Organic Frameworks on CO2/CH4 Separation: A Monte Carlo Simulation Study

In order to explore the in uence of modification sites of functional groups on landfill gas (CO₂/CH₄) separation performance of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), six types of organic linkers and three types of functional groups (i.e. -F, -NH₂, -CH₃) were used to construct 36 MOFs of pcu topology based on copper paddlewheel. Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations were performed in this work to evaluate the separation performance of MOFs at low (vacuum swing adsorption) and high (pressure swing adsorption) pressures, respectively. Simulation results demonstrated that CO₂ working capacity of the unfunctionalized MOFs generally exhibits pore-size dependence at 1 bar, which increases with the decrease in pore sizes. It was also found that -NH₂ functionalized MOFs exhibit the highest CO₂ uptake due to the enhanced Coulombic interactions between the polar -NH₂ groups and the quadrupole moment of CO₂ molecules, which is followed by -CH₃ and -F functionalized ones. Moreover, positioning the functional groups -NH₂ and -CH₃ at sites far from the metal node (site b) exhibits more significant enhancement on CO₂/CH₄ separation performance compared to that adjacent to the metal node (site a).     

Sensitive voltammetric detection of DNA damage at carbon electrodes using DNA repair enzymes and an electroactive osmium marker

This paper presents a new approach to electrochemical sensing of DNA damage, using osmium DNA markers and voltammetric detection at the pyrolytic graphite electrode. The technique is based on enzymatic digestion of DNA with a DNA repair enzyme exonuclease III (exoIII), followed by single-strand (ss) selective DNA modification by a complex of osmium tetroxide with 2,2'-bipyridine. In double-stranded DNA possessing free 3'-ends, the exoIII creates ss regions that can accommodate the electroactive osmium marker. Intensity of the marker signal measured at the pyrolytic graphite electrode responded well to the extent of DNA damage. The technique was successfully applied for the detection of (1) single-strand breaks (ssb) introduced in plasmid DNA by deoxyribonuclease I, and (2) apurinic sites generated in chromosomal calf thymus DNA upon treatment with the alkylating agent dimethyl sulfate. The apurinic sites were converted into the ssb by DNA repair endonuclease activity of the exoIII enzyme. We show that the presented technique is capable of detection of one lesion per approximately 10(5) nucleotides in supercoiled plasmid DNA.     

First molecular octahedral rhenium cluster complexes with terminal As- and Sb-donor ligands

Six new molecular octahedral cluster complexes with the general formulas trans-[{Re₆(μ₃-Q)₈}(EPh₃)₄Br₂] and fac-[{Re₆(μ₃-Q)₇(μ₃-Br)}(AsPh₃)₃Br₃] (Q = S or Se and E = As or Sb) were synthesized by the reactions of the cesium salts of the [{Re₆(μ₃−S)₈}Br₆]⁴⁻, [{Re₆(μ₃-Se)₈Br₆]³⁻, and [{Re₆(μ₃-Q)₇(μ₃-Br)}Br₆]³⁻ anions with molten triphenylarsine (AsPh₃) and triphenylantimony (SbPh₃), respectively. The compositions and structures of the resulting complexes were established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and confirmed by elemental analysis and vibrational spectroscopy. The compositions and structures of the complexes depend on the composition of the cluster core in the starting salts. The luminescence spectra were recorded for powdered samples of all these compounds and the earlier described complexes trans-[{Re₆Q₈}(PPh₃)₄Br₂] and fac-[{Re₆Q₇Br}(PPh₃)₃Br₃]. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1614–1619, August, 2008.     

Synergistic Nitrogen Binding Sites in a Metal-Organic Framework for Efficient N2/O2 Separation

Porous materials with d₃ electronic configuration open metal sites have been proved to be effective adsorbents for N₂ capture and N₂/O₂ separation. However, the reported materials remain challenging to address the trade-off between adsorption capacity and selectivity. Herein, we report a robust MOF, MIL-102Cr, that features two binding sites, can synergistically afford strong interactions for N₂ capture. The synergistic adsorption site exhibits a benchmark Q_st of 45.0 kJ mol⁻¹ for N₂ among the Cr-based MOFs, a record-high volumetric N₂ uptake (31.38 cm³ cm⁻³), and highest N₂/O₂ selectivity (13.11) at 298 K and 1.0 bar. Breakthrough experiments reveal that MIL-102Cr can efficiently capture N₂ from a 79/21 N₂/O₂ mixture, providing a record 99.99 % pure O₂ productivity of 0.75 mmol g⁻¹. In situ infrared spectroscopy and computational modelling studies revealed that a synergistic adsorption effect by open Cr(III) and fluorine sites was accountable for the strong interactions between the MOF and N₂.     

Bromine Adsorption and Thermal Stability on Rh(111): A Combined XPS,LEED and DFT Study

This study addresses a fundamental question in surface science: the adsorption of halogens on metal surfaces. Using synchrotron radiation-based high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed XPS, low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we investigated the adsorption and thermal stability of bromine on Rh(111) in detail. The adsorption of elemental bromine on Rh(111) at 170 K was followed in situ by XPS in the Br 3d region, revealing two individual, coverage-dependent species, which we assign to fcc hollow- and bridge-bound atomic bromine. In addition, we find a significant shift in binding energy upon increasing coverage due to adsorbate-adsorbate interactions. Subsequent heating shows a high thermal stability of bromine on Rh(111) up to above 1000 K, indicating strong covalent bonding. To complement the XPS data, LEED was used to study the long-range order of bromine on Rh(111): we observe a (√3×√3)R30° structure for low coverages (≤0.33 ML) and a star-shaped compression structure for higher coverages (0.33–0.43 ML). Combining LEED and DFT calculations, we were able to visualize bromine adsorption on Rh(111) in real space for varying coverages.     

Probing gas adsorption in MOFs using an efficient ab initio widom insertion Monte Carlo method

We propose a novel biased Widom insertion method that can efficiently compute the Henry coefficient, K_H, of gas molecules inside porous materials exhibiting strong adsorption sites by employing purely DFT calculations. This is achieved by partitioning the simulation volume into strongly and weakly adsorbing regions and selectively biasing the Widom insertion moves into the former region. We show that only few thousands of single point energy calculations are necessary to achieve accurate statistics compared to many hundreds of thousands or millions of such calculations in conventional random insertions. The methodology is used to compute the Henry coefficient for CO₂, N₂, CH₄, and C₂H₂ in M‐MOF‐74(M = Zn and Mg), yielding good agreement with published experimental data. Our results demonstrate that the DFT binding energy and the heat of adsorption are not accurate enough indicators to rank the guest adsorption properties at the Henry regime. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Identifying Reactive Sites and Transport Limitations of Oxygen Reactions in Aprotic Lithium‐O2 Batteries at the Stage of Sudden Death

Discharging of the aprotic Li‐O₂ battery relies on the O₂ reduction reaction (ORR) forming solid Li₂O₂ in the positive electrode, which is often characterized by a sharp voltage drop (that is, sudden death) at the end of discharge, delivering a capacity far below its theoretical promise. Toward unlocking the energy capabilities of Li‐O₂ batteries, it is crucial to have a fundamental understanding of the origin of sudden death in terms of reactive sites and transport limitations. Herein, a mechanistic study is presented on a model system of Au|Li₂O₂|Li⁺ electrolyte, in which the Au electrode was passivated with a thin Li₂O₂ film by discharging to the state of sudden death. Direct conductivity measurement of the Li₂O₂ film and in situ spectroscopic study of ORR using ¹⁸O₂ for passivation and ¹⁶O₂ for further discharging provide compelling evidence that ORR (and O₂ evolution reaction as well) occurs at the buried interface of Au|Li₂O₂ and is limited by electron instead of Li⁺ and O₂ transport.