Samuel Moors

Insight into the Formation and Reactivity of Framework‐Bound Methoxide Species in H‐ZSM‐5 from Static and Dynamic Molecular Simulations

Framework‐bound methoxides occur as intermediates in the stepwise mechanism for zeolite‐catalyzed methylation reactions. Herein, the formation of methoxides from methanol or dimethyl ether in H‐ZSM‐5 is investigated by a combination of static and dynamic simulations, with particular focus on the effect of additional water and methanol molecules on the mechanism and kinetics. Metadynamics simulations allow partitioning the reaction path into distinct phases. Proton transfer from the zeolite to the reactants is found to be the rate‐limiting phase in the methoxide formation. Additional methanol molecules only assist the proton transfer in the methoxide formation from methanol, whereas the reaction from dimethyl ether does not benefit from methanol assistance. Once formed, methoxides are found to be as reactive toward alkene methylation as methanol and dimethyl ether.

Influence of Solvation and Dynamics on the Mechanism and Kinetics of Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution Reactions in Liquid Ammonia

The role of the solvent and the influence of dynamics on the kinetics and mechanism of the SNAr reaction of several halonitrobenzenes in liquid ammonia, using both static calculations and dynamic ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, are investigated. A combination of metadynamics and committor analysis methods reveals how this reaction can change from a concerted, one-step mechanism in gas phase to a stepwise pathway, involving a metastable Meisenheimer complex, in liquid ammonia. This clearly establishes, among others, the important role of the solvent and highlights the fact that accurately treating solvation is of crucial importance to correctly unravel the reaction mechanism. It is indeed shown that H-bond formation of the reacting NH3 with the solvent drastically reduces the barrier of NH3 addition. The halide elimination step, however, is greatly facilitated by proton transfer from the reacting NH3 to the solvent. Furthermore, the free energy surface strongly depends on the halide substituent and the number of electron-withdrawing nitro substituents.

Solvent and Autocatalytic Effects on the Stabilisation of the σ-Complex during Electrophilic Aromatic Chlorination

The solvent and autocatalytic effects of the electrophilic aromatic chlorination of benzene are studied using a combined approach of static calculations and ab initio metadynamics simulations. Different possible reaction pathways are investigated and the influence of the solvents (CCl4 , acetonitrile and acetic acid) is thoroughly assessed. Our results show that the stability and lifetime of a charged σ-complex is increased by electrostatic stabilisation effects of the environment, which can originate from catalytic HCl, solvating effects of polar solvents (acetonitrile), or specific hydrogen bonding interactions with the solvent (acetic acid). Metadynamics simulations reveal a new chlorine addition mechanism explaining the autocatalytic effects of the reaction. The strength of combining static calculations and metadynamics simulations is highlighted, which provide complementary insight into chemical reactions in solvent.