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Curtiss, L A

Publications and source records attributed to Curtiss, L A.

11 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Glucose and Fructose to Platform Chemicals: Understanding the Thermodynamic Landscapes of Acid-Catalysed Reactions Using High-Level ab Initio Methods

Molecular level understanding of acid-catalysed conversion of sugar molecules to platform chemicals such as hydroxy-methyl furfural (HMF), furfuryl alcohol (FAL), and levulinic acid (LA) is essential for efficient biomass conversion. In this paper, the high-level G4MP2 method along with the SMD solvation model is employed to understand detailed reaction energetics of the acid-catalysed decomposition of glucose and fructose to HMF. Based on protonation free energies of various hydroxyl groups of the sugar molecule, the relative reactivity of gluco-pyranose, fructo-pyranose and fructo-furanose are predicted. Calculations suggest that, in addition to the protonated intermediates, a solvent assisted dehydration of one of the fructo-furanosyl intermediates is a competing mechanism, indicating the possibility of multiple reaction pathways for fructose to HMF conversion in aqueous acidic medium. Two reaction pathways were explored to understand the thermodynamics of glucose to HMF; the first one is initiated by the protonation of a C2–OH group and the second one through an enolate intermediate involving acyclic intermediates. Additionally, a pathway is proposed for the formation of furfuryl alcohol from glucose initiated by the protonation of a C2–OH position, which includes a C–C bond cleavage, and the formation of formic acid. The detailed free energy landscapes predicted in this study can be used as benchmarks for further exploring the sugar decomposition reactions, prediction of possible intermediates, and finally designing improved catalysts for biomass conversion chemistry in the future.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2012

Studies of the Raman Spectra of Cyclic and Acyclic Molecules: Combination and Prediction Spectrum Methods

A combination of Raman spectroscopy and density functional methods was employed to investigate the spectral features of selected molecules: furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), methanol, acetone, acetic acid, and levulinic acid. The computed spectra and measured spectra are in excellent agreement, consistent with previous studies. Using the combination and prediction spectrum method (CPSM), we were able to predict the important spectral features of two platform chemicals, HMF and levulinic acid.The results have shown that CPSM is a useful alternative method for predicting vibrational spectra of complex molecules in the biomass transformation process.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2012

Computational screening of dopants for photocatalytic two-electron reduction of CO 2 on anatase (101) surfaces

We have carried out first-principles calculations to explore reaction mechanisms of the 2e reduction of CO 2 to HCOOH or CO in photochemical reactions catalyzed by anatase (101) surface. Two energetically competitive reaction pathways to HCOOH were identified, which involve initial 1e (via bidentate) and 2e (via monodentate) reduction steps, respectively. The pathways of producing CO were also explored. From the electronic structure analysis, we have shown the role of the anatase surface in facilitating electron and proton transfer in CO 2 reduction. Based on the determined rate-limiting step, we have carried out screening of substitutional surface cation doping and found metallic elements that could substantially lower the reaction barriers. Finally, a simple model describing the relationship between the activation barriers and the binding energies of CO 2 - to the dopant surface site is proposed.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2012

Thermochemistry and Reaction Barriers for the Formation of Levoglucosenone from Cellobiose

Cellobiose jumps the barrier: High-level quantum mechanical studies show that the ether bond cleavage in cellobiose occurs through internal hydrogen transfer in the gas phase and that the activation energy required is similar to that required for activating cellulose. The reaction barriers are computed for various pathways for the formation of levoglucosenone from levoglucosan, and the most likely pathway requires a relatively low activation barrier compared to that for the activation of cellobiose.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Comparison of sugar molecule decomposition through glucose and fructose: a high-level quantum chemical study.

Efficient chemical conversion of biomass is essential to produce sustainable energy and industrial chemicals. Industrial level conversion of glucose to useful chemicals, such as furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural, and levulinic acid, is a major step in the biomass conversion but is difficult because of the formation of undesired products and side reactions. To understand the molecular level reaction mechanisms involved in the decomposition of glucose and fructose, we have carried out high-level quantum chemical calculations [Gaussian-4 (G4) theory]. Selective 1,2-dehydration, keto-enol tautomerization, isomerization, retro-aldol condensation, and hydride shifts of glucose and fructose molecules were investigated. Detailed kinetic and thermodynamic analyses indicate that, for acyclic glucose and fructose molecules, the dehydration and isomerization require larger activation barriers compared to the retro-aldol reaction at 298 K in neutral medium. The retro-aldol reaction results in the formation of C2 and C4 species from glucose and C3 species from fructose. The formation of the most stable C3 species, dihydroxyacetone from fructose, is thermodynamically downhill. The 1,3-hydride shift leads to the cleavage of the C-C bond in the acyclic species; however, the enthalpy of activation is significantly higher (50-55 kcal/mol) than that of the retro-aldol reaction (38 kcal/mol) mainly because of the sterically hindered distorted four-membered transition state compared to the hexa-membered transition state in the retro-aldol reaction. Both tautomerization and dehydration are catalyzed by a water molecule in aqueous medium; however, water has little effect on the retro-aldol reaction. Isomerization of glucose to fructose and glyceraldehyde to dihydroxyacetone proceeds through hydride shifts that require an activation enthalpy of about 40 kcal/mol at 298 K in water medium. This investigation maps out accurate energetics of the decomposition of glucose and fructose molecules that is needed to help find more efficient catalysts for the conversion of hexose to useful chemicals.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Bronsted-Evans-Polany relationships for C-C bond forming and C-C bond breaking reactions in thiamine-catalyzed decarboxylation of 2-keto acids using density functional theory.

The concept of generalized enzyme reactions suggests that a wide variety of substrates can undergo enzymatic transformations, including those whose biotransformation has not yet been realized. The use of quantum chemistry to evaluate kinetic feasibility is an attractive approach to identify enzymes for the proposed transformation. However, the sheer number of novel transformations that can be generated makes this impractical as a screening approach. Therefore, it is essential to develop structure/activity relationships based on quantities that are more efficient to calculate. In this work, we propose a structure/activity relationship based on the free energy of binding or reaction of non-native substrates to evaluate the catalysis relative to that of native substrates. While Broensted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) relationships such as that proposed here have found broad application in heterogeneous catalysis, their extension to enzymatic catalysis is limited. We report here on density functional theory (DFT) studies for C-C bond formation and C-C bond cleavage associated with the decarboxylation of six 2-keto acids by a thiamine-containing enzyme (EC 1.2.7.1) and demonstrate a linear relationship between the free energy of reaction and the activation barrier. We then applied this relationship to predict the activation barriers of 17 chemically similar novel reactions. These calculations reveal that there is a clear correlation between the free energy of formation of the transition state and the free energy of the reaction, suggesting that this method can be further extended to predict the kinetics of novel reactions through our computational framework for discovery of novel biochemical transformations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2012

Structure-specific reactivity of alumina supported monomeric vanadium oxide species.

Oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) catalysts based on vanadium oxide are active for the production of alkenes, chemicals of great commercial importance. The current industrial practice for alkene production is based on energy-intensive, dehydrogenation reactions. UV resonance and visible Raman measurements, combined with density functional studies, are used to study for the first time the structure-reactivity relationships for alumina-supported monomeric vanadium oxide species. The relationship between the structure of three vanadium oxide monomeric surface species on a {theta}-alumina surface, and their reducibility by H{sub 2} was determined by following changes in the vanadia's UV Raman and resonance Raman spectra after reaction with H{sub 2} at temperatures from 450 to 650 C. The H{sub 2} reducibility sequence for the three monomeric species is bidentate > 'molecular' > tridentate. The reaction pathways for H{sub 2} reduction on the three vanadium oxide monomeric structures on a {theta}-alumina surface were investigated using density functional theory. Reduction by H{sub 2} begins with reaction at the V=O bond in all three species. However, the activation energy, Gibbs free energy change under reaction conditions, and the final V oxidation state are species-dependent. The calculated ordering of reactivity is consistent with the observed experimental ordering and provides an explanation for the ordering. The results suggest that synthesis strategies can be devised to obtain vanadium oxide structures with greatly enhanced activity for ODH resulting in more efficient catalysts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Gn theory.

A review of the Gaussian-n (Gn) methods for accurate calculations of molecular energies is presented. The review includes an overview of the test sets that have been developed for assessing quantum chemical methods. This is followed by a description of the G2, G3, and G4 family of methods along with information on their performance on the test sets.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗