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Use Case · Heterogeneous Catalyst Design

Screen 500 catalyst candidates in hours, not months

Rank transition metal complexes, surface binding energies, and ligand modifications by DFT-accurate activation energy before committing to a single synthesis.

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Abstract concept of heterogeneous catalyst molecular structure — metallic lattice with binding sites
Typical Catalyst Design Workflow

From ligand library to synthesis targets in four computational steps

01

Define Metal Center + Ligand Space

Enumerate candidate catalyst structures: metal (Pd, Ru, Ir, Rh, Ni, Fe), oxidation states, coordination geometry, and ligand library. SMILES generation from template parameterization.

02

Submit DFT Screening Batch

500 catalyst + substrate complexes screened at B3LYP/6-311G++. Geometry optimization, transition state for key elementary step (e.g. oxidative addition, C-H activation).

03

Rank by Activation Energy

Results sorted by ΔG‡. Apply secondary filters: endothermicity, selectivity proxy (competing pathway ratio), catalyst stability (binding energy check).

04

Route Top Candidates to Synthesis

Down-select to 10–20 synthesis targets. Generate purchase lists. Formal synthesis priorities backed by quantitative computational justification.

Example Output

What a catalyst screening batch returns

Each candidate returns a full energy profile for the target elementary step. Results include activation energy, reaction energy, Gibbs free energy at 298 K, and computed stability metrics — all sortable, filterable, and exportable.

"We ran 400 amide coupling variants in a single weekend. That would have been 6 weeks of queue time on our local HPC."

Dr. Sankar Meenakshisundaram · Harwell Catalysis Institute
Top 5 hits — Pd-catalyzed C-N coupling screen
RankLigand IDΔG‡ (kcal/mol)ΔGrxn
1XPhos-Pd-G312.4−18.2
2RuPhos-Pd-G313.1−17.6
3SPhos-Pd-G414.7−12.3
4BINAP-Pd18.2−9.8
5dppb-Pd19.5−15.1

Ready to run your first catalyst screen?