Joakim Halldin Stenlid

Extending the σ-Hole Concept to Metals: An Electrostatic Interpretation of the Effects of Nanostructure in Gold and Platinum Catalysis

Crystalline surfaces of gold are chemically inert, whereas nanoparticles of gold are excellent catalysts for many reactions. The catalytic properties of nanostructured gold have been connected to increased binding affinities of reactant molecules for low-coordinated Au atoms. Here we show that the high reactivity at these sites is a consequence of the formation of σ-holes, i.e., maxima in the surface electrostatic potential (VS,max), due to the overlap of mainly the valence s-orbitals when forming the bonding σ-orbitals. The σ-holes are binding sites for Lewis bases, and binding energies correlate with the magnitudes of the VS,max. For symmetrical Au clusters, of varying sizes, the most positive VS,max values are found at the corners, edges, and surfaces (facets), decreasing in that order. This is in agreement with the experimentally and theoretically observed dependence of catalytic activity on local structure. The density of σ-holes can explain the increasing catalytic activity with decreasing particle size for other transition metal catalysts also, such as platinum.

Searching for the thermodynamic limit – a DFT study of the step-wise water oxidation of the bipyramidal Cu 7 cluster

Oxidative degradation of copper in aqueous environments is a major concern in areas such as catalysis, electronics and construction engineering. A particular challenge is to systematically investigate the details of this process for non-ideal copper surfaces and particles under the conditions found in most real applications. To this end, we have used hybrid density functional theory to study the oxidation of a Cu7 cluster in water solution. Especially, the role of a large water coverage is explored. This has resulted in the conclusion that, under atmospheric H2 pressures, the thermodynamically most favored state of degradation is achieved upon the generation of four H2 molecules (i.e. Cu7 + 8H2O → Cu7(OH)8 + 4H2) in both condensed and gas phases. This state corresponds to an average oxidation state below Cu(I). The calculations suggest that the oxidation reaction is slow at ambient temperatures with the water dissociation as the rate-limiting step. Our findings are expected to have implication for, among other areas, the copper catalyzed water-gas shift reaction, and for the general understanding of copper corrosion in aqueous environments.

Local Electron Attachment Energy and Its Use for Predicting Nucleophilic Reactions and Halogen Bonding

A new local property, the local electron attachment energy [E(r)], is introduced and is demonstrated to be a useful guide to predict intermolecular interactions and chemical reactivity. The E(r) is analogous to the average local ionization energy but indicates susceptibility toward interactions with nucleophiles rather than electrophiles. The functional form E(r) is motivated based on Janaks theorem and the piecewise linear energy dependence of electron addition to atomic and molecular systems. Within the generalized Kohn-Sham method (GKS-DFT), only the virtual orbitals with negative eigenvalues contribute to E(r). In the present study, E(r) has been computed from orbitals obtained from GKS-DFT computations with a hybrid exchange-correlation functional. It is shown that E(r) computed on a molecular isodensity surface, ES(r), reflects the regioselectivity and relative reactivity for nucleophilic aromatic substitution, nucleophilic addition to activated double bonds, and formation of halogen bonds. Good to excellent correlations between experimental or theoretical measures of interaction strengths and minima in ES(r) (ES,min) are demonstrated.

Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution Reactions Described by the Local Electron Attachment Energy

A local multiorbital electrophilicity descriptor, the local electron attachment energy [E(r)], is used to study the nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions of SNAr and VNS (vicarious nucleophilic substitution). E(r) considers all virtual orbitals below the free electron limit and is determined on the molecular isodensity contour of 0.004 atomic units. Good (R2 = 0.83) to excellent (R2 = 0.98) correlations are found between descriptor values and experimental reactivity data for six series of electron deficient arenes. These include homo- and heteroarenes, rings of five to six atoms, and a variety of fluorine, bromine, and hydride leaving groups. The solvent, temperature, and nucleophile are in addition varied across the series. The surface E(r) [ES(r)] is shown to provide reactivity predictions better than those of transition-state calculations for a concerted SNAr reaction with a bromine nucleofug, gives correlations substantially stronger than those of LUMO energies, and is overall more reliable than the molecular electrostatic potential. With the use of ES(r), one can identify the various electrophilic sites within a molecule and correctly predict isomeric distributions. Since the calculations of ES(r) are computationally inexpensive, the descriptor offers fast but accurate reactivity predictions for the important nucleophilic aromatic substitution class of reactions. Applications in, e.g., drug discovery, synthesis, and toxicology studies are envisaged.

Reactivity at the Cu2O(100):Cu–H2O interface: a combined DFT and PES study

The water-cuprite interface plays an important role in dictating surface related properties. This not only applies to the oxide, but also to metallic copper, which is covered by an oxide film under typical operational conditions. In order to extend the currently scarce knowledge of the details of the water-oxide interplay, water interactions and reactions on a common Cu2O(100):Cu surface have been studied using high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) as well as Hubbard U and dispersion corrected density functional theory (PBE-D3+U) calculations up to a bilayer water coverage. The PBE-D3+U results are compared with PBE, PBE-D3 and hybrid HSE06-D3 calculation results. Both computational and experimental results support a thermodynamically favored, and H2O coverage independent, surface OH coverage of 0.25-0.5 ML, which is larger than the previously reported value. The computations indicate that the results are consistent also for ambient temperatures under wet/humid and oxygen lean conditions. In addition, both DFT and PES results indicate that the initial (3,0;1,1) surface reconstruction is lifted upon water adsorption to form an unreconstructed (1 × 1) Cu2O(100) structure.

Dehydrogenation of methanol on Cu2O(100) and (111)

Adsorption and desorption of methanol on the (111) and (100) surfaces of Cu2O have been studied using high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy in the temperature range 120-620 K, in combination with density functional theory calculations and sum frequency generation spectroscopy. The bare (100) surface exhibits a (3,0; 1,1) reconstruction but restructures during the adsorption process into a Cu-dimer geometry stabilized by methoxy and hydrogen binding in Cu-bridge sites. During the restructuring process, oxygen atoms from the bulk that can host hydrogen appear on the surface. Heating transforms methoxy to formaldehyde, but further dehydrogenation is limited by the stability of the surface and the limited access to surface oxygen. The (√3 × √3)R30°-reconstructed (111) surface is based on ordered surface oxygen and copper ions and vacancies, which offers a palette of adsorption and reaction sites. Already at 140 K, a mixed layer of methoxy, formaldehyde, and CHxOy is formed. Heating to room temperature leaves OCH and CHx. Thus both CH-bond breaking and CO-scission are active on this surface at low temperature. The higher ability to dehydrogenate methanol on (111) compared to (100) is explained by the multitude of adsorption sites and, in particular, the availability of surface oxygen.

Computational analysis of the early stage of cuprous oxide sulphidation: a top-down process

ABSTRACT The initial steps of Cu2O sulphidation to Cu2S have been studied using plane-wave density functional theory at the PBE-D3+U level of sophistication. Surface adsorption and dissociation of H2S and H2O, as well as the replacement reaction of lattice oxygen with sulphur, have been investigated for the most stable (111) and (100) surface facets under oxygen-lean conditions. We find that the (100) surface is more susceptible to sulphidation than the (111) surface, promoting both H2S adsorption, dissociation and the continued oxygen–sulphur replacement. The results presented in this proceeding bridge previous results from high-vacuum experiments on ideal surface to more realistic corrosion conditions and set the grounds for future mechanistic studies. Potential implications on the long-term final disposal of spent nuclear fuel are discussed. This paper is part of a supplement on the 6th International Workshop on Long-Term Prediction of Corrosion Damage in Nuclear Waste Systems. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Theoretical Investigation into Rate-Determining Factors in Electrophilic Aromatic Halogenation

The halogenation of monosubstituted benzenes in aqueous solvent was studied using density functional theory at the PCM-M06-2 X/6-311G(d,p) level. The reaction with Cl2 begins with the formation of C atom coordinated π-complex and is followed by the formation of the σ-complex, which is rate-determining. The final part proceeds via the abstraction of the proton by a water molecule or a weak base. We evaluated the use of the σ-complex as a model for the rate-determining transition state (TS) and found that this model is more accurate the later the TS comes along the reaction coordinate. This explains the higher accuracy of the model for halogenations (late TS) compared to nitrations (early TS); that is, the more deactivated the substrate the later the TS. The halogenation with Br2 proceeds with a similar mechanism as the corresponding chlorination, but the bromination has a very late rate-determining TS that is similar to the σ-complex in energy. The iodination with ICl follows a different mechanism than chlorination and bromination. After the formation of the π-complex, the reaction proceeds in a concerted manner without a σ-complex. This reaction has a large primary hydrogen kinetic isotope effect in agreement with experimental observations.