Paracat EU Project - Open-shell species in catalysis

Open-shell (radical type) species, characterized by the presence of at list one unpaired electron, feature large in many catalytic transformations related to heterogeneous, homogeneous and bio-catalysis. Although often denigrated in the popular press as noxious agents responsible for aging and even death, radicals in biology are essential for many metabolic transformations. On the other hand, transition metal ions like Ti, V, Fe, Cu etc. are essential elements capable of catalyzing a large number of essential chemical reactions and often feature “open-shell” electronic configurations. Understanding the structure and the role of open-shell species is crucially important to design new and sustainable catalytic pathways. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) is a spectroscopic technique that allows the study of these species. This video illustrates how EPR can be used to understand different kinds of catalytic systems.

[@ChiaraPortesi-bh7cs]

Great! well done!