Brønsted and Lewis acids represent two fundamental concepts in chemistry, each playing a different but complementary role. Brønsted acids donate protons, while the main virtue of Lewis acids is their ability to accept electron pairs. Their importance ranges from fundamental organic synthesis to industrial processes. I will present novel Brønsted and Lewis superacids based on fluorinated systems, which offer the possibility of synthesizing hitherto unknown compounds. Based on such superacids, we have succeeded in synthesizing and characterizing novel compounds such as halonium or xenonium ions. In addition, in the field of chlorine chemistry, we have developed a new type of material, the so-called ionic liquids based on polychlorides. This new material offers new possibilities, its value for chlorine storage and chlorination reactions being only one aspect. Ionic liquids based on polychlorides could become a key technology for making chlorine production more flexible, allowing the use of renewable but fluctuating electrical energy.
Design of functional metal-organic frameworks through computational crystal structure prediction
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly versatile materials with diverse functional applications in gas storage and separation, catalysis, water purification and sensing, to name a few. The design of new MOFs is a challenging task, heavily reliant on experimental...
