| Summary: | Neutron scattering combined with ab initio
calculations provides a powerful tool for studying metal complexes
in different solvents and, particularly, in water. The majority of
traditional characterization techniques in catalysis provide only
limited information on homogeneous catalytic processes. Neutron
scattering, on the other hand, thanks to its sensitivity to hydrogen
atoms, and therefore water molecules, can be used to build detailed
models of reaction paths and to observe, at a molecular level, the
influence of solvent molecules on a catalytic process. In this Mini-
Review we describe several examples on how neutron scattering
combined with ab initio calculations can be used to examine the
nature of the interaction of water molecules with catalytically active
metal complexes in solution.
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