State-resolved unimolecular dissociation of cis-cis HOONO: Product state distributions and action spectrum in the 2nuOH band region

Nascent OH fragment product state distributions arising from unimolecular dissociation of room temperature HOONO, initiated by excitation in the region of the 2nu(OH) band, are probed using laser-induced fluorescence at sub-Doppler resolution. Phase-space simulations of the measured OH rotational distributions are consistent with the dissociation dynamics being statistical and confirm that all major features in the room temperature action spectrum belong to the cis-cis conformer. The phase-space simulations also allow us to estimate the HO-ONO bond dissociation energy of cis-cis HOONO to be D(0)=19.9+/-0.5 kcal/mol, which when combined with the known heat-of-formation data for the OH and NO(2) fragments gives DeltaH(f) (0)(cis-cis HOONO)=-2.5 kcal/mol. In addition to fragment energy release, spectral features in the cis-cis HOONO action spectrum are examined with respect to their shifts upon (15)N isotope substitution and through ab initio spectral simulation using a two-dimensional dipole surface that takes into account the influence of HOON torsional motion on the OH stretching overtone. The two-dimensional spectral simulations, using CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ dipole surface, qualitatively reproduces features appearing in the action spectrum and suggest that the strong broad feature occurring approximately 570 cm(-1) to the blue of the cis-cis HOONO 2nu(OH) peak, likely involve excitation of HOON-torsion/OH-stretch combination bands originating from thermally populated excited torsional states. A closer examination of the predictions of the two-dimensional model with experiments also reveals its limitations and suggests that a more elaborate treatment, one which includes several additional modes, will likely be required in order to fully explain the room temperature action spectrum. Ab initio calculations of the HOON torsional potential at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level of theory are also presented and confirm that cis-perp configuration does not correspond to a bound localized minimum on the HOONO potential energy surface.     

Role of OH-stretch/torsion coupling and quantum yield effects in the first OH overtone spectrum of cis-cis HOONO

A joint theoretical and experimental investigation is undertaken to study the effects of OH-stretch/HOON torsion coupling and of quantum yield on the previously reported first overtone action spectrum of cis-cis HOONO (peroxynitrous acid). The minimum energy path along the HOON dihedral angle is computed at the coupled cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triples level with correlation consistent polarized quadruple zeta basis set, at the structure optimized using the triple zeta basis set (CCSD(T)/cc-pVQZ//CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ). The two-dimensional ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces for cis-cis HOONO are calculated as functions of the HOON torsion and OH bond length about the minimum energy path at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ and QCISD/AUG-cc-pVTZ (QCISD-quadratic configuration interaction with single and double excitation and AUG-augmented with diffuse functions) level of theory/basis, respectively. The OH-stretch vibration depends strongly on the torsional angle, and the torsional potential possesses a broad shelf at approximately 90 degrees , the cis-perp conformation. The calculated electronic energies and dipoles are fit to simple functional forms and absorption spectra in the region of the OH fundamental and first overtone are calculated from these surfaces. While the experimental and calculated spectra of the OH fundamental band are in good agreement, significant differences in the intensity patterns are observed between the calculated absorption spectrum and the measured action spectrum in the 2nu(OH) region. These differences are attributed to the fact that several of the experimentally accessible states do not have sufficient energy to dissociate to OH+NO(2) and therefore are not detectable in an action spectrum. Scaling of the intensities of transitions to these states, assuming D(0)=82.0 kJ/mol, is shown to produce a spectrum that is in good agreement with the measured action spectrum. Based on this agreement, we assign two of the features in the spectrum to Deltan=0 transitions (where n is the HOON torsion quantum number) that are blue shifted relative to the origin band, while the large peak near 7000 cm(-1) is assigned to a series of Deltan=+1 transitions, with predominant contributions from torsionally excited states with substantial cis-perp character. The direct absorption spectrum of cis-cis HOONO (6300-6850 cm(-1)) is recorded by cavity ringdown spectroscopy in a discharge flow cell. A single band of HOONO is observed at 6370 cm(-1) and is assigned as the origin of the first OH overtone of cis-cis HOONO. These results imply that the origin band is suppressed by over an order of magnitude in the action spectrum, due to a reduced quantum yield. The striking differences between absorption and action spectra are correctly predicted by the calculations.     

Relative vibrational overtone intensity of cis-cis and trans-perp peroxynitrous acid

The vibrational overtone spectrum of HOONO is examined in the region of the 2 nu(OH) and 3 nu(OH) bands using action spectroscopy in conjunction with ab initio intensity calculations. The present measurements indicate that the oscillator strength associated with the higher energy trans-perp conformer of HOONO is stronger relative to the lower energy cis-cis conformer for both these vibrational overtone levels. Ab initio intensity calculations carried out at the QCISD level of theory suggest that this disparity in oscillator strength apparently arises from differences in the second derivative of the transition dipole moment function of the two isomers. The calculations indicate that the oscillator strength for the trans-perp isomer is approximately 5.4 times larger than that of the cis-cis isomer for the 2 nu(OH) band and approximately 2 times larger for 3 nu(OH) band. The band positions and intensities predicted by the calculations are used to aid in the assignment of features in the experimental action spectra associated with the OH stretching overtones of HOONO. The observed relative intensities in the experimental action spectra when normalized to the calculated oscillator strengths appears to suggest that the concentration of the higher energy trans-perp isomer is comparable to the concentration of the cis-cis isomer in these room temperature experiments.     

Infrared overtone spectroscopy and unimolecular decay dynamics of peroxynitrous acid

Peroxynitrous acid (HOONO) is generated in a pulsed supersonic expansion through recombination of photolytically generated OH and NO(2) radicals. A rotationally resolved infrared action spectrum of HOONO is obtained in the OH overtone region at 6971.351(4) cm(-1) (origin), providing definitive spectroscopic identification of the trans-perp (tp) conformer of HOONO. Analysis of the rotational band structure yields rotational constants for the near prolate asymmetric top, the ratio of the a-type to c-type components of the transition dipole moment for the hybrid band, and a homogeneous linewidth arising from intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution and/or dissociation. The quantum state distribution of the OH (nu=0,J(OH)) products from dissociation is well characterized by a microcanonical statistical distribution constrained only by the energy available to products, 1304+/-38 cm(-1). This yields a 5667+/-38 cm(-1) [16.2(1) kcal mol(-1)] binding energy for tp-HOONO. An equivalent available energy and corresponding binding energy are obtained from the highest observed OH product state. Complementary high level ab initio calculations are carried out in conjunction with second-order vibrational perturbation theory to predict the spectroscopic observables associated with the OH overtone transition of tp-HOONO including its vibrational frequency, rotational constants, and transition dipole moment. The same approach is used to compute frequencies and intensities of multiple quantum transitions that aid in the assignment of weaker features observed in the OH overtone region, in particular, a combination band of tp-HOONO involving the HOON torsional mode.     

Second OH overtone excitation and statistical dissociation dynamics of peroxynitrous acid

The second OH overtone transition of the trans-perp conformer of peroxynitrous acid (tp-HOONO) is identified using infrared action spectroscopy. HOONO is produced by the recombination of photolytically generated OH and NO(2) radicals, and then cooled in a pulsed supersonic expansion. The second overtone transition is assigned to tp-HOONO based on its vibrational frequency (10 195.3 cm(-1)) and rotational band contour, which are in accord with theoretical predictions and previous observations of the first overtone transition. The transition dipole moment associated with the overtone transition is rotated considerably from the OH bond axis, as evident from its hybrid band composition, indicating substantial charge redistribution upon OH stretch excitation. The overtone band exhibits homogeneous line broadening that is attributed to intramolecular vibrational redistribution, arising from the coupling of the initially excited OH stretch to other modes that ultimately lead to dissociation. The quantum state distributions of the OH X (2)Pi (nu=0) products following first and second OH overtone excitation of tp-HOONO are found to be statistical by comparison with three commonly used statistical models. The product state distributions are principally determined by the tp-HOONO binding energy of 16.2(1) kcal mol(-1). Only a small fraction of the OH products are produced in nu=1 following the second overtone excitation, consistent with statistical predictions.     

Internal rotation in peroxynitrous acid (ONOOH)

Using higher levels of wave-function-based electronic structure theory than previously applied, as well as density functional theory (B-LYP and B3-LYP functionals), all theoretical models conclude that three ONOOH conformers are stationary point minima, in disagreement with some of the previous studies that we survey. In order of increasing energy, these are the cis-cis, cis-perp, and trans-perp conformers. Basis sets including diffuse functions seem to be needed to obtain a qualitatively correct representation of the internal rotation potential energy surface at higher levels of theory. Internal rotation about the peroxide bond involving the cis-cis, cis-gauche transition structure (TS), cis-perp, and cis-trans TS conformers is studied in detail. To help ascertain the relative stability of the cis-perp conformer, multireference configuration interaction energy calculations are carried out, and rule of thumb estimates of multireference character in the ground-state wave functions of the ONOOH conformers are considered. CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ physical properties (geometries, rotational constants, electric dipole moments, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and infrared intensities) are compared with the analogous experimental data wherever possible, and also with density functional theory. Where such experimental data are nonexistent, the CCSD(T) and B3-LYP results are useful representations. For example, the electric dipole moment |mu(e)| of the cis-cis conformer is predicted to be 0.97+/-0.03 D. CCSD(T) energies, extrapolated to the aug-cc-pVNZ limit, are employed in isodesmic reaction schemes to derive zero Kelvin heats of formation and bond dissociation energies of the ONOOH stationary point minima. In agreement with recent gas-phase experiments, the peroxide bond dissociation energies of the cis-cis and trans-perp conformers are calculated as 19.3+/-0.4 and 16.0+/-0.4 kcalmol, respectively. The lowest energy cis-cis conformer is less stable than nitric acid by 28.1+/-0.4 kcalmol at 0 K.     

Raman spectroscopy of likasite at 298 and 77 K

Raman spectroscopy at 298 and 77K has been used to study the structure of likasite, a naturally occurring basic copper(II) nitrate of formula Cu3NO3(OH)5.2H2O. An intense sharp band is observed at 3522 cm(-1) at 298 K which splits into two bands at 3522 and 3505 cm(-1) at 77 K and is assigned to the OH stretching mode. The two OH stretching bands at 3522 and 3505 provide estimates of the hydrogen bond distances of these units as 2.9315 and 2.9028 angstroms. The significance of this result is that equivalent OH units in the 298 K spectrum become two non-equivalent OH units at 77 K suggesting a structural change by cooling to liquid nitrogen temperature. A number of broad bands are observed in the 298 K spectrum at 3452, 3338, 3281 and 3040 cm(-1) assigned to H2O stretching vibrations with estimates of the hydrogen bond distances of 2.8231, 2.7639, 2.7358 and 2.6436 angstroms. Three sharp bands are observed at 77 K at 1052, 1050 and 1048 cm(-1) attributed to the nu1 symmetric stretching mode of the NO3 units. Only a single band at 1050 cm(-1) is observed at 298 K, suggesting the non-equivalence of the NO3 units at 77 K, confirming structural changes in likasite by cooling to 77 K.     

Unimolecular dissociation and thermochemistry of CH3OOH

The unimolecular dissociation of CH3OOH is investigated by exciting the molecule in the region of its 5nu(OH) band and probing the resulting OH fragments using laser-induced fluorescence. The measured OH fragment rotational and translational energies are used to determine the CH3O-OH bond dissociation energy, which we estimate to be approximately 42.6+/-1 kcal/mol. Combining this value with the known heats of formation of the fragments also gives an estimate for the heat of formation of CH3OOH which at 0 K we determine to be deltaH(f)0=-27+/-1 kcal/mol. This experimental value is in good agreement with the results of ab initio calculations carried out at the CCSD(T)/complete basis set limit which finds the heat of formation of CH3OOH at 0 K to be deltaH(f)0=-27.3 kcal/mol.     

Energetics of cresols and of methylphenoxyl radicals

Combustion calorimetry studies were used to determine the standard molar enthalpies of formation of o-, m-, and p-cresols, at 298.15 K, in the condensed state as Delta(f)H(m) degrees (o-CH(3)C(6)H(4)OH,cr) = -204.2 +/- 2.7 kJ.mol(-1), Delta(f)H(m) degrees (m-CH(3)C(6)H(4)OH,l) = -196.6 +/- 2.1 kJ.mol(-1), and Delta(f)H(m) degrees (p-CH(3)C(6)H(4)OH,cr) = -202.2 +/- 3.0 kJ.mol(-1). Calvet drop calorimetric measurements led to the following enthalpy of sublimation and vaporization values at 298.15 K: Delta(sub)H(m) degrees (o-CH(3)C(6)H(4)OH) = 73.74 +/- 0.46 kJ.mol(-1), Delta(vap)H(m) degrees (m-CH(3)C(6)H(4)OH) = 64.96 +/- 0.69 kJ.mol(-1), and Delta(sub)H(m) degrees (p-CH(3)C(6)H(4)OH) = 73.13 +/- 0.56 kJ.mol(-1). From the obtained Delta(f)H(m) degrees (l/cr) and Delta(vap)H(m) degrees /Delta(sub)H(m) degrees values, it was possible to derive Delta(f)H(m) degrees (o-CH(3)C(6)H(4)OH,g) = -130.5 +/- 2.7 kJ.mol(-1), Delta(f)H(m) degrees (m-CH(3)C(6)H(4)OH,g) = -131.6 +/- 2.2 kJ.mol(-1), and Delta(f)H(m) degrees (p-CH(3)C(6)H(4)OH,g) = -129.1 +/- 3.1 kJ.mol(-1). These values, together with the enthalpies of isodesmic and isogyric gas-phase reactions predicted by the B3LYP/cc-pVDZ, B3LYP/cc-pVTZ, B3P86/cc-pVDZ, B3P86/cc-pVTZ, MPW1PW91/cc-pVTZ, CBS-QB3, and CCSD/cc-pVDZ//B3LYP/cc-pVTZ methods, were used to obtain the differences between the enthalpy of formation of the phenoxyl radical and the enthalpies of formation of the three methylphenoxyl radicals: Delta(f)H(m) degrees (C(6)H(5)O*,g) - Delta(f)H(m) degrees (o-CH(3)C(6)H(4)O*,g) = 42.2 +/- 2.8 kJ.mol(-1), Delta(f)H(m) degrees (C(6)H(5)O*,g) - Delta(f)H(m) degrees (m-CH(3)C(6)H(4)O*,g) = 36.1 +/- 2.4 kJ.mol(-1), and Delta(f)H(m) degrees (C(6)H(5)O*,g) - Delta(f)H(m) degrees (p-CH(3)C(6)H(4)O*,g) = 38.6 +/- 3.2 kJ.mol(-1). The corresponding differences in O-H bond dissociation enthalpies were also derived as DH degrees (C(6)H(5)O-H) - DH degrees (o-CH(3)C(6)H(4)O-H) = 8.1 +/- 4.0 kJ.mol(-1), DH degrees (C(6)H(5)O-H) - DH degrees (m-CH(3)C(6)H(4)O-H) = 0.9 +/- 3.4 kJ.mol(-1), and DH degrees (C(6)H(5)O-H) - DH degrees (p-CH(3)C(6)H(4)O-H) = 5.9 +/- 4.5 kJ.mol(-1). Based on the differences in Gibbs energies of formation obtained from the enthalpic data mentioned above and from published or calculated entropy values, it is concluded that the relative stability of the cresols varies according to p-cresol < m-cresol < o-cresol, and that of the radicals follows the trend m-methylphenoxyl < p-methylphenoxyl < o-methylphenoxyl. It is also found that these tendencies are enthalpically controlled.     

Microwave spectrum and conformational composition of 1-vinylimidazole

The microwave spectrum of 1-vinylimidazole has been investigated in the 21-80 GHz spectral region. The spectra of two conformers have been assigned. One of these forms is planar, while the other is nonplanar with the imidazole ring and the vinyl group forming an angle of 15(4)° from coplanarity. The planar form is found to be 5.7(7) kJ/mol more stable than the nonplanar rotamer by relative intensity measurements. The spectra of 10 vibrationally excited states of the planar form and one excited-state spectrum of the nonplanar form were assigned. The vibrational frequencies of several of these states were determined by relative intensity measurements. The microwave work has been augmented by quantum chemical calculations at the CCSD/cc-pVTZ, MP2/cc-pVTZ, and B3LYP/cc-pVTZ levels of theory. The B3LYP calculations predict erroneously that both forms of 1-vinylimidazole are planar, whereas the MP2 and CCSD calculations correctly predict the existence of a planar and a nonplanar conformer of this compound.     

Constraining the mechanism and kinetics of OH + NO2 and HO2 + NO using the multiple-well master equation

Several recent experimental studies have provided substantial new constraints for the mechanisms on the HNO3 potential energy surface. These include observations of biexponential OH decay over short time scales from OH + NO2, which constrain key properties of the short-lived HOONO intermediate, observations of both conformers of the HOONO intermediate itself, isotopic scrambling data for 18OH + NO2, and observations of HONO2 production from the HO2 + NO reaction. We combine all of these recent data in a master-equation simulation of the system. This simulation is initialized with computational values for both stable species (wells) and transition states, but parameters are then adjusted to fit the observations. All parameters are kept within limits defined by experimental and theoretical uncertainty, and all converge away from their bounds. The primary fitting is carried out on the OH kinetic data-we first fit the biexponential kinetics, then address the isotopic scrambling. Isotopic scrambling is shown to be rapid but not complete at low pressure, while at least two parameter sets are shown to be consistent with the biexponential data. Of these two parameter sets, one is far more consistent with recent observations of trans-HOONO decay, isotopic scrambling, and HONO2 production from HO2 + NO. This we regard as the most probable potential energy surface for the reaction. On this PES, cis-trans isomerization for HOONO is slow but isomerization of trans-HOONO to HONO2 is rapid. This has significant implications for observed HOONO behavior and also HONO2 formation in the atmosphere from both HO2 + NO and OH + NO2.     

Infrared spectrum of NH4+(H2O): evidence for mode specific fragmentation

The gas phase infrared spectrum (3250-3810 cm-1) of the singly hydrated ammonium ion, NH4+(H2O), has been recorded by action spectroscopy of mass selected and isolated ions. The four bands obtained are assigned to N-H stretching modes and to O-H stretching modes. The N-H stretching modes observed are blueshifted with respect to the corresponding modes of the free NH4+ ion, whereas a redshift is observed with respect to the modes of the free NH3 molecule. The O-H stretching modes observed are redshifted when compared to the free H2O molecule. The asymmetric stretching modes give rise to rotationally resolved perpendicular transitions. The K-type equidistant rotational spacings of 11.1(2) cm-1 (NH4+) and 29(3) cm-1 (H2O) deviate systematically from the corresponding values of the free molecules, a fact which is rationalized in terms of a symmetric top analysis. The relative band intensities recorded compare favorably with predictions of high level ab initio calculations, except on the nu3(H2O) band for which the observed value is about 20 times weaker than the calculated one. The nu3(H2O)/nu1(H2O) intensity ratios from other published action spectra in other cationic complexes vary such that the nu3(H2O) intensities become smaller the stronger the complexes are bound. The recorded ratios vary, in particular, among the data collected from action spectra that were recorded with and without rare gas tagging. The calculated anharmonic coupling constants in NH4+(H2O) further suggest that the coupling of the nu3(H2O) and nu1(H2O) modes to other cluster modes indeed varies by orders of magnitude. These findings together render a picture of a mode specific fragmentation dynamic that modulates band intensities in action spectra with respect to absorption spectra. Additional high level electronic structure calculations at the coupled-cluster singles and doubles with a perturbative treatment of triple excitations [CCSD(T)] level of theory with large basis sets allow for the determination of an accurate binding energy and enthalpy of the NH4+(H2O) cluster. The authors' extrapolated values at the CCSD(T) complete basis set limit are De [NH4+-(H2O)]=-85.40(+/-0.24) kJ/mol and DeltaH(298 K) [NH4+-(H2O)]=-78.3(+/-0.3) kJ/mol (CC2), in which double standard deviations are indicated in parentheses.     

Proton affinity of peroxyacetyl nitrate. A computational study of topical proton affinities

The structure and energetics of the peroxyacetyl nitrate conformers syn- and anti-PAN and several cations formed by PAN protonation were investigated by a combination of density functional theory and ab initio calculations. syn-PAN is the more stable conformer that is predicted to predominate in gas-phase equilibria. The acetyl carbonyl oxygen was found to be the most basic site in PAN, the oxygen atoms of the peroxide and NO(2) groups being less basic. The 298 K proton affinity of syn-PAN was calculated as 759-763 kJ mol(-1) by effective QCISD(T)/6-311 + G(3df,2p) and 771-773 kJ mol(-1) by B3-MP2/6-311 + G(3df,2p). The calculated values are 25-39 kJ mol(-1) lower than the previous estimate by Srinivasan et al. (Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 1998; 12: 328) that was based on competitive dissociations of proton-bound dimers (the kinetic method). The calculated threshold dissociation energies predicted the formation of CH(3)CO(+) + syn - HOONO(2) and CH(3)COOOH + NO(2)(+) to be the most favorable fragmentations of protonated PAN that required 83 and 89 kJ mol(-1) at the respective thermochemical thresholds at 298 K. The previously observed dissociation to CH(3)COOH + NO(3)(+) was calculated by effective QCISD(T)/6-311 + G(3df,2p) to require 320 kJ mol(-1). The disagreement between the experimental data and calculated energetics is discussed.     

Microwave spectrum and conformational composition of 2-fluoroethylisocyanide

The microwave spectrum of 2-fluoroethylisocyanide, FCH(2)CH(2)N≡C, has been investigated in the whole 50-120 GHz spectral region. Selected portions of the spectrum in the range of 18-50 GHz have also been recorded. The microwave spectra of the ground state and vibrationally excited states of two conformers have been assigned. Accurate spectroscopic constants have been derived from a large number of microwave transitions. The F-C-C-N chain of atoms is antiperiplanar in one of these rotamers and synclinal in the second conformer. The energy difference between the two forms was obtained from relative intensity measurements. It was found that the synclinal conformer is favored over the antiperiplanar form by 0.7(5) kJ/mol. Quantum chemical calculations at the high CCSD/cc-pVTZ and B3LYP/cc-pVTZ levels of theory were performed. Most, but not all, of the spectroscopic constants predicted in these calculations are in good agreement with the experimental counterparts. The theoretical calculations correctly indicate that the F-C-C-N dihedral angle in the synclinal form is about 67° but underestimate the magnitude of the gauche effect and erroneously predict the antiperiplanar rotamer to be 1.3-1.6 kJ/mol more stable than the synclinal conformer.     

Rotational spectrum of cis-cis HOONO

The pure rotational spectrum of cis-cis peroxynitrous acid, HOONO, has been observed. Over 220 transitions, sampling states up to J'=67 and Ka'=31, have been fitted with an rms uncertainty of 48.4 kHz. The experimentally determined rotational constants agree well with ab initio values for the cis-cis conformer, a five-membered ring formed by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The small, positive inertial defect Delta=0.075667(60) amu A2 and lack of any observable torsional splittings in the spectrum indicate that cis-cis HOONO exists in a well-defined planar structure at room temperature.     

Predicted thermochemistry and unimolecular kinetics of nitrous sulfide

The geometry of N(2)S was obtained at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV(T + d)Z level of theory and energies with coupled-cluster single double triple (CCSD(T)) and basis sets up to aug-cc-pV(6 + d)Z. After correction for anharmonic zero-point energy, core-valence correlation, correlation up to CCSDT(Q) and relativistic effects, D(0) for the N-S bond is estimated as 71.9 kJ mol(-1), and the corresponding thermochemistry for N(2)S is Δ(f)H(0)(°)=205.4 kJ mol(-1) and Δ(f)H(298)(°)=202.6 kJ mol(-1) with an uncertainty of ±2.5 kJ mol(-1). Using CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV(T + d) theory the minimum energy crossing point between singlet and triplet potential energy curves is found at r(N-N) ≈ 1.105 ? and r(N-S) ≈ 2.232 ?, with an energy 72 kJ mol(-1) above N(2) + S((3)P). Application of Troe's unimolecular formalism yields the low-pressure-limiting rate constant for dissociation of N(2)S k(0) = 7.6 × 10(-10) exp(-126 kJ mol(-1)/RT) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) over 700-2000 K. The estimated uncertainty is a factor of 4 arising from unknown parameters for energy transfer between N(2)S and Ar or N(2) bath gas. The thermochemistry and kinetics were included in a mechanism for CO/H(2)/H(2)S oxidation and the conclusion is that little NO is produced via subsequent chemistry of NNS.     

Microwave spectrum and conformational composition of 2-chloroethylisocyanide

2-Chloroethylisocyanide (ClCH(2)CH(2)N≡C) has been synthesized, and its microwave spectrum has been investigated in the 20-97 GHz spectral region. The spectra of (35)Cl and (37)Cl isotopologues of two conformers have been assigned. The Cl-C-C-N chain of atoms is antiperiplanar in one of these rotamers and synclinal in the second. The energy difference between the two forms has been obtained from relative intensity measurements. It was found that the antiperiplanar conformer is favored over the synclinal form by 4.3(8) kJ/mol. Quantum chemical calculations at the CCSD/cc-pVTZ and B3LYP/cc-pVTZ levels of theory have been performed. Most, but not all, of the spectroscopic constants predicted in these calculations are in good agreement with their experimental counterparts. The theoretical calculations correctly predict that the 2-chloroethylisocyanide exists as a mixture of an antiperiplanar and a synclinal conformer, with the former about 3.5 kJ/mol more stable than the latter. Both methods of calculations find that the antiperiplanar rotamer has a symmetry plane. The dihedral angle formed by the Cl-C-C-N link of atoms of the synclinal form is 67° according to the CCSD calculations. It is estimated from a comparison with the experimental rotational constants that this dihedral angle is uncertain by ±3°.     

Rotational spectroscopy and dipole moment of cis-cis HOONO and DOONO

The rotational spectrum of cis-cis HOONO has been studied over a broad range of frequencies, 13-840 GHz, using pulsed beam Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy and room-temperature flow cell submillimeter spectroscopy. The rotational spectrum of the deuterated isotopomer, cis-cis DOONO, has been studied over a subset of this range, 84-640 GHz. Improved spectroscopic constants have been determined for HOONO, and the DOONO spectrum is analyzed for the first time. Weak-field Stark effect measurements in the region of 84-110 GHz have been employed to determine the molecular dipole moments of cis-cis HOONO [mu(a) = 0.542(8) D, mu(b) = 0.918(15) D, mu = 1.07(2) D] and DOONO [mu(a) = 0.517(9) D, mu(b) = 0.930(15) D, mu = 1.06(2) D]. The quadrupole coupling tensor in the principal inertial axis system for the 14N nucleus has been determined to be chi(aa) = 1.4907(25) MHz, chi(bb) = -4.5990(59) MHz, chi(ab) = 3.17(147) MHz, and chi(cc) = 3.1082(59) MHz. Coordinates of the H atom in the center-of-mass frame have been determined with use of the Kraitchman equations, /aH/ = 0.516 A and /bH/ = 1.171 A. The inertial defects of HOONO and DOONO are consistent with a planar equilibrium structure with significant out-of-plane H atom torsional motion. Comparisons of the present results are made to ab initio calculations.     

Microwave spectra and barriers to internal rotation of z- and e-1-propenyl isocyanide

A synthetic procedure yielding a mixture of Z- and E-1-propenyl isocyanide (CH(3)CH═CHNC) is described. The microwave spectrum of this mixture has been recorded in the 12-100 GHz spectral range, and the spectra of the Z and E isomers have been assigned for the first time. Most transitions of the Z form were split into two components of equal intensity due to tunneling of the methyl group, which allowed the barrier to internal rotation of this group to be determined as 4.0124(12) kJ/mol by fitting 568 transitions with a maximum value of J = 46 using the computer program Xiam. This fit had a root-mean-square deviation as large as 4.325. The same transitions were therefore fitted anew using the more sophisticated program Erham. This fit has a rms deviation marginally better (4.136) than the Xiam fit. No split MW lines were found for E-1-propenyl isocyanide. The absence of splittings is ascribed to a barrier to internal rotation of the methyl group that is significantly higher than the barrier of the Z isomer. It is concluded that the barrier must be larger than 6 kJ/mol for the E form. The experimental work was augmented by quantum chemical calculations at CCSD/cc-pVTZ, B3LYP/cc-pVTZ, and MP2/cc-pVTZ levels of theory. The CCSD method predicts rotational constants of the Z and E forms well. The B3LYP barriers to internal rotation of a series of substituted propenes were calculated and found to be in good agreement with experiments. Calculations of the quartic centrifugal distortion constants of the two 1-propenyl isocyanides by the B3LYP and MP2 methods were less successful.     

硝基甲烷异构化反应势能面的ab initio研究

在B3LYP/6-311+ +G(2d,2p)水平上,优化得到硝基甲烷CH3NO2的10种异构体和23个异构化反应过渡态,并用G2MP2方法进行了单点能计算.根据计算得到的G2MP2相对能量,探讨了CH3NO2势能面上异构化反应的微观机理.研究表明,反应初始阶段的CH3NO2异构化过程具有较高的能垒,其中CH3NO2的两个主要异构化反应通道,即CH3NO2→CH3ONO和CH3NO2→CH2N(O)OH的活化能分别为270.3和267.8 kJ/mol,均高于CH3NO2的C-N键离解能.因而,从动力学角度考虑, CH3NO2的异构化反应较为不利.