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Computational optimization of electric fields for better catalysis design

Nature Catalysis volume 1, pages 649–655 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Although the ubiquitous role that long-ranged electric fields play in catalysis has been recognized, it is seldom used as a primary design parameter in the discovery of new catalytic materials. Here we illustrate how electric fields have been used to computationally optimize biocatalytic performance of a synthetic enzyme, and how they could be used as a unifying descriptor for catalytic design across a range of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. Although focusing on electrostatic environmental effects may open new routes toward the rational optimization of efficient catalysts, much more predictive capacity is required of theoretical methods to have a transformative impact in their computational design — and thus experimental relevance — when using electric field alignments in the reactive centres of complex catalytic systems.

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Fig. 1: Optimization of electric fields in the KE15 Kemp Eliminase synthetic enzyme.
Fig. 2: Proposed mechanism for the alkyl–alkyl reductive elimination from P(CH3)3AuMe2I.
Fig. 3: Electric field enhancements on alkyl–alkyl reduction in a supramolecular capsule.
Fig. 4: Atomistic representation of a Diels–Alder reaction under nanoconfinement.

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  • 27 September 2018

    In the version of this Perspective originally published, there were errors in equation (1) and the sentence immediately following it, as well as in Fig. 1; the details are shown in the correction notice. These errors have now been corrected.

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Acknowledgements

The catalysis application supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division under Contract no. DE-AC02-05CH11231. The material on theory and methods is based upon work supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program. This research received a 2017 ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge (ALCC) allocation at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science User Facility supported by the Office of Science of the US Department of Energy under Contract no. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Valerie Vaissier Welborn, Luis Ruiz Pestana & Teresa Head-Gordon

  2. Pitzer Center for Theoretical Chemistry, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Valerie Vaissier Welborn, Luis Ruiz Pestana & Teresa Head-Gordon

  3. Departments of Chemistry, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Teresa Head-Gordon

  4. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Teresa Head-Gordon

  5. Bioengineering University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Teresa Head-Gordon

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T.H.G. conceived the theme, V.V. and T.H.G. wrote the manuscript, and V.V. and L.R.P. designed the figures and the graphical abstract image. All authors contributed data and insights, discussed the Perspective and edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Teresa Head-Gordon.

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Welborn, V.V., Ruiz Pestana, L. & Head-Gordon, T. Computational optimization of electric fields for better catalysis design. Nat Catal 1, 649–655 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-018-0109-2

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