title: The computational road to better catalysts.
abstract: Computational studies, especially those that use density functional theory (DFT), have become pervasive in the characterization, mechanistic study, and optimization of homogeneous organometallic catalysts, and the "rational" design of such catalysts seems within reach once more. But how advanced, user-friendly, and reliable are the computational tools that are currently available? Here we summarize the current state of the art for predictive computational organometallic chemistry in reference to the different stages of catalyst development by considering characterization, mechanistic studies, fine-tuning/optimization, and evaluation of novel designs. We also assess critically where the strengths and weaknesses of computational studies lie and hence map out the road ahead for the design and discovery of novel catalysts in silico and in combination with targeted experimental studies.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Química Inorgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona (Spain).
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jover
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fey
keywords: computational chemistry; density functional calculations; homogeneous catalysis; ligand design; reaction mechanisms