DFT study of the water-assisted tautomerization process between hydrated oxide, MO(H2O)+, and dihydroxide, M(OH)2+, cations (M=V, Nb and Ta)

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations point out that the participation of water can effectively lower the barrier height for the isomerization process between hydrated oxide cation, MO(H2O)+, and dihydroxide cation, M(OH)2+, (M=V, Nb and Ta). The catalytic effect is achieved by a water-assisted mechanism in which water acts as proton donor and acceptor, via a transition structure corresponding to a six-membered ring. In the case of vanadium atom, the presence of two water molecules has been taken into account and the tautomerization becomes nearly barrierless, decreasing both the stability of the transition structures relative to intermediates and the depths of wells associated with the intermediates.