Unveiling Stereo‐Electronic Effects in Homogeneous Catalysis Integrating Theory and Experiments: the Potential of Dimeric Iron(III) Salen Complexes in Methyl Levulinate Transesterification
• Structure-activity relationship of Fe(III) salendimeric catalysts for methyl levulinate transesterification.• DFT and Machine Learning techniques correlate Fe−O−Fe angle and LUMO energy with catalytic activity.• Comprehending electronic and steric effects in Lewis-acid catalysis and rational catalyst design.• High-yield synthesis of industrially relevant esters under mild conditions.