Mechanistic investigation of zwitterionic MOF-catalyzed enyne annulation using UNLPF-14-Mn^(Ⅲ) as catalyst

Hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations were performed to elucidate how[Mn^(Ⅲ)porphyrin]^(+X−)-based metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)catalyze the[2+1]cycloisomerization of enynes and why zwitterionic MOFs exhibit strong activity in Lewis acid catalysis.The calculations showed that zwitterionic MOFs have a“pure cationic active center”leading to a concerted nucleophilic attack pathway with lower barriers.In contrast,metals with coordinating anions have reduced electrophilicity,resulting in a stepwise radical-type pathway with much higher barriers.Further calculations showed the nature of catalysis was strongly depended on the charge on the anion ligand.A good linear relationship between the NPA charge and barrier was found,and verified by 73 anions with small derivations,which presents a universal adaptive character for various coordinated anions.