Andrew Nosakhare Amenaghawon , Ubani Oluwaseun Amune , Joshua Efosa Ayere , Ifechukwude Christopher Otuya , Stanley Aimhanesi Eshiemogie , Esther Imhande Ehiawaguan , Gabriel Diemesor , Emmanuel Christopher Abuga , Osamudiamhen Oiwoh , Olusola Tijani , Peter Kayode Oyefolu , Oseweuba Valentine Okoro , Amin Shavandi , Chinedu Lewis Anyalewechi , Ehiaghe Agbovhimen Elimian , Maxwell Ogaga Okedi , Ibhadebhunuele Gabriel Okoduwa , Steve Oshiokhai Eshiemogie , Osarieme Osazuwa , Handoko Darmokoesoemo , Heri Septya Kusuma
{"title":"A comprehensive insight into the role of synthesis methods on the properties and performance of bio-derived heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production","authors":"Andrew Nosakhare Amenaghawon , Ubani Oluwaseun Amune , Joshua Efosa Ayere , Ifechukwude Christopher Otuya , Stanley Aimhanesi Eshiemogie , Esther Imhande Ehiawaguan , Gabriel Diemesor , Emmanuel Christopher Abuga , Osamudiamhen Oiwoh , Olusola Tijani , Peter Kayode Oyefolu , Oseweuba Valentine Okoro , Amin Shavandi , Chinedu Lewis Anyalewechi , Ehiaghe Agbovhimen Elimian , Maxwell Ogaga Okedi , Ibhadebhunuele Gabriel Okoduwa , Steve Oshiokhai Eshiemogie , Osarieme Osazuwa , Handoko Darmokoesoemo , Heri Septya Kusuma","doi":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115057","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115057","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The over-reliance on fossil fuels has led to significant environmental and climatic challenges, emphasizing the urgent need for sustainable energy alternatives. Biodiesel, which is traditionally produced through the transesterification of vegetable oils and animal fats, provides a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. However, for catalytic systems, the efficiency of biodiesel synthesis is significantly dependent on the nature of the catalysts used. Conventional homogeneous catalysts, although effective, face challenges such as high energy consumption, soap formation, non-recoverability, and corrosion issues. In contrast, heterogeneous catalysts, especially those derived from biogenic waste, offer cost, reusability, and environmental impact advantages. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the synthesis methods and performance of heterogeneous catalysts derived from waste materials for biodiesel production, representing an elucidation of the role of synthesis methods on the properties of these catalysts. Understanding this relationship is important for optimizing biodiesel production efficiency as global efforts intensify to transition away from fossil fuels. This review analyzes the properties of these catalysts, such as surface area, pore structure, morphology, metal dispersion, chemical composition, and thermal stability, using fit-for-purpose characterization techniques. By focusing on the synthesis-property-performance nexus, this review highlights the importance of selecting and optimizing synthesis methods to achieve high-performance catalysts for efficient biodiesel production. The review also addresses challenges in heterogeneous catalyst synthesis, providing a balanced perspective on the current state of the art. Importantly, this work establishes a new framework for understanding and optimizing bio-derived catalyst synthesis, paving the way for more efficient and sustainable biodiesel production methods. This review contributes new knowledge to the field of renewable energy, aligning with global sustainability goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":393,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Catalysis","volume":"579 ","pages":"Article 115057"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiao-Ting Zhao , Wen-Dian Li , Yao Yao , Ming-Liang Shi , Yun-Jie Wei , Ru-De Lin , Fei-Yan Tao , Na Wang
{"title":"Efficient chemoenzymatic cascade reaction for one-pot enantioselective synthesis of chiral indole derivatives in water","authors":"Xiao-Ting Zhao , Wen-Dian Li , Yao Yao , Ming-Liang Shi , Yun-Jie Wei , Ru-De Lin , Fei-Yan Tao , Na Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115038","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115038","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>One-pot chemoenzymatic cascade process integrating the merits of biocatalysis and chemical catalysis has become a promising method for the efficient synthesis of complex chiral compounds. Herein, we designed a chemoenzymatic one-pot cascade system in water, involving UiO-67 catalyzed Michael addition and ketoreductases catalyzed <em>C<img>O</em> asymmetric reduction with stereocomplementary selectivity. After studying experimental conditions systematically, a series of chiral indole derivatives with complementary (<em>R</em>)- or (<em>S</em>)-configurations were successfully synthesized with high yields (up to 92 %) and excellent stereoselectivity (up to 99 % <em>ee</em>). The strategy is environmentally friendly, mild and highly stereoselective, demonstrating the significant potential of one-pot chemoenzymatic cascade reaction in green synthetic chemistry and sustainable development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":393,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Catalysis","volume":"579 ","pages":"Article 115038"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143706144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Theoretical studies on the mechanism of Rh-catalyzed [(3+2+2)] cycloisomerization reactions of dienophile-substituted alkylidenecyclopropanes","authors":"Wanjun Zhao, Huimin Xu, Ying Ren, Tingting Zhang, Jianfeng Jia, Hai-Shun Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115055","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115055","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The detailed reaction mechanism of Rh-catalyzed [(3+2+2)] cycloisomerization reactions of dienophile-substituted alkylidenecyclopropanes to construct the bridged tricyclic products with DFT calculations has been investigated. The catalytic cycle primarily comprises four steps: oxidative addition, proximal alkene insertion, distal alkene insertion, and reductive elimination. The reactions initiate with Rh-mediated the cleavage of cyclopropane distal C−C bond to give the key <em>η</em><sup>4</sup>-TMM Rh(III) intermediate, which undergoes the proximal alkene insertion step to dictate the stereochemical outcome. The subsequent competing the 1,2-insertion and 2,1-insertion of the distal alkene moiety has also been discussed for comparison. The calculations reproduce quite well diastereoselectivity observed experimentally, demonstrating that the <em>cis</em> coordination pathway has high diastereocontrol. For comparison, various C−C coupling reaction pathways and substrate scopes have been examined.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":393,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Catalysis","volume":"579 ","pages":"Article 115055"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143706243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Minghui Liu , Huanling Zhang , Shipeng Song , Rong Fan , Mengqi Wang , Zhengchao Wang , Hao Yan , Guowei Wang , Xiang Feng , Chunyi Li , Chaohe Yang , Xiaolin Zhu
{"title":"Direct production of p/m-cresol from catalytic methylation of phenol with methanol over MCM-22 zeolite: Acidity effect and reaction network","authors":"Minghui Liu , Huanling Zhang , Shipeng Song , Rong Fan , Mengqi Wang , Zhengchao Wang , Hao Yan , Guowei Wang , Xiang Feng , Chunyi Li , Chaohe Yang , Xiaolin Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115062","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115062","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The methylation of phenol with methanol is an environment-friendly and simple method for cresol production. In this work, the direct and selective production of p/m-cresol from phenol methylation was realized over the MCM-22 zeolite catalyst by sensitive regulation of the reaction temperature. On the one hand, the effect of zeolite acidity was investigated by varying SiO<sub>2</sub>/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> ratio, and the strong Bronsted acid sites were indicated to be crucial for phenol methylation reaction. The MCM-22 zeolite with strong acidity and moderate porosity exhibited outstanding and stable catalytic performance with high phenol conversion (∼40 %), excellent cresol selectivity (>95 %) and flexible product composition (p-cresol/cresols ∼40 % or m-cresol/cresols ∼50 %). On the other hand, the reaction network of phenol methylation was refined. It was demonstrated that, in addition to the direct production of cresols from C-alkylation of phenol, the cresols could also be produced by the transalkylation between phenol and anisole yield from phenol O-alkylation. This work not only develops a novel eco-friendly p/m-cresol production method, but also deepens people's knowledge of the reaction mechanism of phenol methylation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":393,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Catalysis","volume":"579 ","pages":"Article 115062"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143706145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Boosting the CO2 methanation over Ni/Ce0.90RE0.10Oδ by regulating of oxygen vacancy density","authors":"Jingyi Zhang , Liang Yuan , Yue Li , Yuntao Liang , Lulu Zhou , Yongdong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115040","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115040","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The oxygen vacancies are significant defects that serve as reactive sites in several catalytic reactions. The CO<sub>2</sub> methanation catalysts were facilely designed through tailoring the local electron density on oxygen vacancies by introducing different electron acceptors (Pr, La and Y). We prepared a series of Ni/Ce<sub>0.90</sub>RE<sub>0.10</sub>O<sub>δ</sub> (RE = rare earth element) catalysts to boost catalytic activity of CO<sub>2</sub> methanation at low temperature. It demonstrated the concentration of oxygen vacancies could be significantly regulated by doping strategy, hence altering the local microelectronic structure of catalyst and strengthening the MSI effect. The Ni/Ce<sub>0.90</sub>Y<sub>0.10</sub>O<sub>δ</sub> catalyst demonstrated the greatest density of oxygen vacancies and optimal CO<sub>2</sub> methanation performance. The CO<sub>2</sub> conversion and CH<sub>4</sub> selectivity achieved 84.6 % and 99.8 % at 270 °C, respectively. <em>In situ</em> DRIFTS revealed Ni/Ce<sub>0.90</sub>Y<sub>0.10</sub>O<sub>δ</sub> catalyst enhanced the formate pathway. These results can provide better guidance for CO<sub>2</sub> utilization technology to develop more efficient catalysts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":393,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Catalysis","volume":"579 ","pages":"Article 115040"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ying Yang , Shuo Wang , Yuhang Sun , Jihuan Song , Chenmeng Cui , Sungsik Lee
{"title":"Co nanoclusters derived from zinc-trimesic acid fiber for efficient levulinic acid hydrogenation","authors":"Ying Yang , Shuo Wang , Yuhang Sun , Jihuan Song , Chenmeng Cui , Sungsik Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115054","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115054","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) to γ-valerolactone (GVL) is significant for producing chemicals and fuels from renewable resources, a promising direction in biomass refining. Currently, non-precious metal catalysts suffer from low activity due to a single electronic structure, which is incapable of effectively activating both <em>C<img>O</em> in LA and H<sub>2</sub>. Herein we report <em>in situ</em> fabricated Co nanoclusters within positive and metallic Co sites on N-doped carbon, which can simultaneously activate LA's <em>C<img>O</em> and H<sub>2</sub>, enhancing the activity and selectivity for GVL production. Urea-assisted Co dispersion coupled with variation of pyrolysis temperature, Co nanoclusters were formed <em>via</em> direct conversion of Co-containing zinc trimesic acid fibers. The resulting Co nanoclusters possess dual active sites of Co-N<sub>x</sub> and metallic Co, with adjustable electronic structures. Under the reaction conditions of 200 °C and 4.5 MPa H<sub>2</sub> for 4 h, LA was completely converted, achieving 95 % yield of GVL. The outstanding catalytic activity is attributed to the Co-N<sub>x</sub> and metallic Co active sites, which facilitate the activation of <em>C<img>O</em> and H<sub>2</sub>, respectively. This research provides a new concept for converting N-free metal-organic frameworks into non-precious metal nanoclusters, offering valuable insights for designing high-performance non-precious metal catalysts for biomass-derived chemical and fuel production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":393,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Catalysis","volume":"579 ","pages":"Article 115054"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lizhi Wu, Wenchun Zheng, Xiaofang Wang, Juncheng He, Caixin Zou, Mengjia Zhu, Bo Liu, Li Tan, Yu Tang
{"title":"Mechanistic interpretations and insights for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane with CO2 over alkali metal modified Zn/SSZ-13 catalyst","authors":"Lizhi Wu, Wenchun Zheng, Xiaofang Wang, Juncheng He, Caixin Zou, Mengjia Zhu, Bo Liu, Li Tan, Yu Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115044","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115044","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alkali metal promoted Zn/SSZ-13 catalysts were investigated for ethane dehydrogenation (EDH) and CO<sub>2</sub>-assisted oxidative ethane dehydrogenation (CO<sub>2</sub>-EDH). The Zn/Na/K/SSZ-13 demonstrated enhanced ethane dehydrogenation performance, achieving 0.381 mol C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> g<sub>Zn</sub><sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> with a low deactivation rate constant of (k<sub>d</sub>) of 0.04 h<sup>-1</sup> in the CO<sub>2</sub>-EDH process after 440 min time on stream, compared to the unmodified Zn/SSZ-13 catalyst. Comprehensive characterizations revealed that the isolated Zn<sup>2+</sup> species serve as the active sites for dehydrogenation, while the addition of alkali metals compensate the acid sites of SSZ-13, effectively suppressing the side reactions such as cracking. Moreover, the introduction of CO<sub>2</sub> mitigates Zn loss and enhances catalyst activity and stability by coupling with the reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGS), which also suppress the coke deposition. Investigation of vary CO<sub>2</sub> content indicated that higher CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations significantly suppress Zn loss and increase the proportion of the RWGS reaction, thereby improving CO<sub>2</sub>-EDH catalytic performance. This work elucidates the active phase of ethane dehydrogenation and highlights the role of alkali metals and CO<sub>2</sub> in the CO<sub>2</sub>-EDH process over Zn/Na/K/SSZ-13, providing valuable insights for designing high-performance CO<sub>2</sub>-EDH catalysts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":393,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Catalysis","volume":"579 ","pages":"Article 115044"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Direct Z-scheme SnS₂/WTe₂ heterojunction for enhanced visible-light-driven water splitting performance based on DFT","authors":"Jie Li, Yongchao Liang, Xiaoxiao Li, Gongmin Wei, Zhihan Zhang, Qian Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115048","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115048","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of fossil fuels leads to environmental issues such as global warming and acid rain. Photocatalytic hydrogen production has become a trend towards solving this problem. However, the rapid recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes in single-component photocatalysts severely limits their photocatalytic performance. Van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions can effectively suppress the carrier recombination rate. Therefore, this study constructs SnS₂/WTe₂ van der Waals heterojunctions via a vertical stacking approach and employs first-principles calculations to investigate their stability, electronic structure, optical properties, and photocatalytic mechanisms. The results demonstrate that the SnS₂/WTe₂ heterojunction exhibits structural stability, with the valence band maximum (VBM) and conduction band minimum (CBM) dominated by WTe₂ and SnS₂, respectively. The oxidation and reduction potentials of this heterojunction span the redox potential of water, enabling photocatalytic water splitting to proceed normally. Compared to the single-layer materials, the SnS<sub>2</sub>/WTe<sub>2</sub> heterojunction exhibits superior light absorption properties and refractive index. Furthermore, it achieves a hydrogen production efficiency of 9.39 % under AM1.5G solar flux. The application of biaxial strain further optimizes the electronic and optical properties of the SnS₂/WTe₂ heterojunction. The SnS₂/WTe₂ heterojunction exhibits efficient HER and OER performance based on Gibbs free energy calculations. This study provides a highly promising candidate material for the development of high-efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":393,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Catalysis","volume":"579 ","pages":"Article 115048"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fan Xue, Shangpu Zhuang, Jingyue Bi, Zhaoyang Fei, Xu Qiao
{"title":"Distinctive pathways of single-atom and nanoparticle sites over Co-based catalysts for furfuryl alcohol hydrogenation","authors":"Fan Xue, Shangpu Zhuang, Jingyue Bi, Zhaoyang Fei, Xu Qiao","doi":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115043","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115043","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The targeted transformation of biomass resources into premium chemicals and biofuels stands out as a highly promising approach to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and curb environmental pollution caused by excessive use of fossil fuels. The catalysts with diverse active sites are crucial to determine the products distribution of furan-containing bio-based feedstocks hydrogenation. Herein, Co<sub>1</sub>/NC and Co<sub>NPs</sub>/NC catalysts have been successfully prepared and demonstrated distinct reaction pathways in the selective hydrogenation of furfuryl alcohol (FOL). Notably, the Co<sub>1</sub>/NC catalyst showed 11.8 % FOL conversion within 1 h and both furan ring (C = C) and the C–OH could be hydrogenated over CoN<sub>4</sub> sites. In contrast, the Co nanoparticles were more inclined to facilitate the activation and cleavage of C–OH bond in FOL with 92.2 % selectivity of 2-methylfuran and its derivatives over Co<sub>NPs</sub>/NC catalyst. Although the temperature, H<sub>2</sub> pressure and solvents can affect products distribution, their impact differences also depended on the nature of the active sites. This work underscores the importance of a thorough understanding about the structure–activity relationship, which is crucial to systematic design suitable catalysts with tailored active sites for specific catalytic reactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":393,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Catalysis","volume":"579 ","pages":"Article 115043"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143686244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiacheng Fan , Ran Fang , Yanyun Dong , Simeng Qi , Lizi Yang
{"title":"Mechanistic insights and stereoselectivity in Ni(II)-catalyzed asymmetric [3 + 2]/[3 + 3] cycloaddition reactions of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes: A DFT study","authors":"Jiacheng Fan , Ran Fang , Yanyun Dong , Simeng Qi , Lizi Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115034","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115034","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Density functional theory (DFT) was employed to investigate the reaction mechanisms and stereoselectivity of Ni(II)-catalyzed nonracemic donor-acceptor cyclopropane (DAC) [3 + 2]/[3 + 3] cycloaddition reactions with imine, triazine, and nitrone substrates. The results indicate that the overall reaction for all three substrates consists of two main steps: (1) nucleophilic attack of the substrate on the nonracemic DAC, and (2) C-C cyclization of the resulting key intermediate to form either five- or six-membered rings. For imine and triazine, the most favorable reaction pathway involves direct nucleophilic attack followed by cyclization, while for nitrone, the reaction proceeds via racemization to form an alkene intermediate, which then undergoes cyclization. Computational analysis reveals that the of the diastereoselectivity nucleophilic attack step is primarily controlled by distortion energy, whereas the enantioselectivity of the cyclization step is governed by interaction energy. Global reactivity index (GRI) analysis shows that imine exhibits the highest nucleophilicity with the lowest activation energy, while nitrone displays the weakest nucleophilicity and the highest activation energy. This theoretical study provides new insights into predicting reaction pathways and rationalizing the selective features of related cyclization reactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":393,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Catalysis","volume":"579 ","pages":"Article 115034"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143686243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}