Reaction kinetics and thermochemistry of the chemically activated and stabilized primary ethyl radical of methyl ethyl sulfide,CH3SCH2CH2•, with O2 to CH3SCH2CH2OO•

Oxidation of methyl ethyl sulfide (CH₃SCH₂CH₃, methylthioethane, MES) under atmospheric and combustion conditions is initiated by hydroxyl radicals, MES radicals, generated after loss of a H atom via OH abstraction, will further react with O₂ to form chemically activated and stabilized peroxyl radical adducts. The kinetics of the chemically activated reaction between the CH₃SCH₂CH₂• radical and molecular oxygen are analyzed using quantum Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel theory for k(E) with master equation analysis and a modified strong-collision approach to account for further reactions and collisional deactivation. Thermodynamic properties of reactants, products, and transition states are determined by the B3LYP/6-31+G(2d,p), M062X/6-311+G(2d,p), ωB97XD/6-311+G(2d,p) density functional theory, and CBS-QB3, G3MP2B3, and G4 composite methods. The reaction of CH₃SCH₂CH₂• with O₂ forms an energized peroxy adduct CH₃SCH₂CH₂OO• with a calculated well depth of 34.1 kcal mol⁻¹ at the CBS-QB3 level of theory. Thermochemical properties of reactants, transition states, and products obtained under CBS-QB3 level are used for calculation of kinetic parameters. Reaction enthalpies are compared between the methods. The temperature and pressure-dependent rate coefficients for both the chemically activated reactions of the energized adduct and the thermally activated reactions of the stabilized adducts are presented. Stabilization and isomerization of the CH₃SCH₂CH₂OO• adduct are important under high pressure and low temperature. At higher temperatures and atmospheric pressure, the chemically activated peroxy adduct reacts to new products before stabilization. Addition of the peroxyl oxygen radical to the sulfur atom followed by sulfur-oxygen double bond formation and elimination of the methyl radical to form S(= O)CCO• + CH₃ (branching) is a potentially important new pathway for other alkyl-sulfide peroxy radical systems under thermal or combustion conditions.     

Intramolecular hydrogen bond in the hydroxycyclohexadienyl peroxy radicals

The hydroxycyclohexadienyl peroxy radicals (HO? C₆H₆? O₂) produced from the reaction of OH‐benzene adduct with O₂ were studied with density functional theory (DFT) calculations to determine their characteristics. The optimized geometries, vibrational frequencies, and total energies of 2‐hydroxycyclohexadienyl peroxy radical II_s and 4‐hydroxycyclohexadienyl peroxy radical III_s were calculated at the following theoretical levels, B3LYP/6‐31G(d), B3LYP/6‐311G(d,p), and B3LYP/6‐311+G(d,p). Both were shown to contain a red‐shifted intramolecular hydrogen bond (O? H … O? H bond). According to atoms‐in‐molecules (AIM) analysis, the intramolecular hydrogen bond in the 2‐hydroxycyclohexadienyl peroxy radical II_s is stronger than that one in 4‐hydroxycyclohexadienyl peroxy radical III_s, and the former is the most stable conformation among its isomers. Generally speaking, hydrogen bonding in these radicals plays an important role to make them more stable. Based on natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, the stabilization energy between orbitals is the main factor to produce red‐shifted intramolecular hydrogen bond within these peroxy radicals. The hyperconjugative interactions can promote the transfer of some electron density to the O? H antibonding orbital, while the increased electron density in the O? H antibonding orbital leads to the elongation of the O? H bond and the red shift of the O? H stretching frequency. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Atmospheric Chemistry of Camphor

Rate constants have been measured at 296 ± 2 K for the gas‐phase reactions of camphor with OH radicals, NO₃ radicals, and O₃. Using relative rate methods, the rate constants for the OH radical and NO₃ radical reactions were (4.6 ± 1.2) × 10⁻¹² cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ and <3 × 10⁻¹⁶ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively, where the indicated error in the OH radical reaction rate constant includes the estimated overall uncertainty in the rate constant for the reference compound. An upper limit to the rate constant for the O₃ reaction of <7 × 10⁻²⁰ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ was also determined. The dominant tropospheric loss process for camphor is calculated to be by reaction with the OH radical. Acetone was identified and quantified as a product of the OH radical reaction by gas chromatography, with a formation yield of 0.29 ± 0.04. In situ atmospheric pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry (API‐MS) analyses indicated the formation of additional products of molecular weight 166 (dicarbonyl), 182 (hydroxydicarbonyl), 186, 187, 213 (carbonyl‐nitrate), 229 (hydroxycarbonyl‐nitrate), and 243. A reaction mechanism leading to the formation of acetone is presented, as are pathways for the formation of several of the additional products observed by API‐MS. © 2000 John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 56–63, 2001     

Thermochemistry and kinetics of the 2-butanone-4-yl CH3C(=O)CH2CH2• + O2 reaction system

Thermochemistry and kinetic pathways on the 2-butanone-4-yl (CH₃C(=O)CH₂CH₂•) + O₂ reaction system are determined. Standard enthalpies, entropies, and heat capacities are evaluated using the G3MP2B3, G3, G3MP3, CBS-QB3 ab initio methods, and the B3LYP/6-311g(d,p) density functional calculation method. The CH₃C(=O)CH₂CH₂• radical + O₂ association reaction forms a chemically activated peroxy radical with 35 kcal mol⁻¹ excess of energy. The chemically activated adduct can undergo RO−O bond dissociation, rearrangement via intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions to form hydroperoxide-alkyl radicals, or eliminate HO₂ and OH. The hydroperoxide-alkyl radical intermediates can undergo further reactions forming ketones, cyclic ethers, OH radicals, ketene, formaldehyde, or oxiranes. A relatively new path showing a low barrier and resulting in reactive product sets involves peroxy radical attack on a carbonyl carbon atom in a cyclic transition state structure. It is shown to be important in ketones when the cyclic transition state has five or more central atoms.     

A theoretical characterization of reactions of HOOO radical with guanine: formation of 8-oxoguanine

Hydrogen trioxide (HOOO) radical and other polyoxides of general formula, RO_nR (where R stands for hydrogen, other atoms or groups and n?≥?3), are believed to be key intermediates in atmospheric chemistry and biological oxidation reactions. In this contribution, DFT calculations using M06-2X density functional and the 6-31G(d,p) and 6-311+G(d,p) basis sets have been carried out to study different reactions of HOOO radical with guanine such as addition of HOOO radical at the C2, C4, C5, and C8 sites of guanine, abstraction of hydrogen atoms (H1, H2a, and H8) of guanine, and the mechanisms of oxidation of guanine with HOOO radical yielding 8-oxoguanine(a highly mutagenic derivative of guanine) and its radical in gas phase and aqueous media. The polarizable continuum model (PCM) has been used for solvation calculations in aqueous media. Our calculations reveal that the C8 site of guanine is the most reactive site for addition of HOOO radical, and adduct formed at this site would be appreciably stable. The rate constant (\( =\frac{K_bT}{h}{e}^{-\frac{\Delta {E}^b}{RT}} \)) at the C8 site is found to be 6.07?×?10⁷ (2.89?×?10⁷) s^?1 at the M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory in gas phase (aqueous media). The calculated barrier energy and heat of formation of hydrogen abstraction reactions show that HOOO radical would not abstract hydrogen atoms of guanine. Oxidation of guanine with HOOO radical can occur following two schemes (Scheme 1 and Scheme 2). It is found that formation of 8-oxoguanine radical via Scheme 1 would predominate over formation of 8-oxoguanine via Scheme 2, in a reaction of HOOO radical and guanine. Thus, HOOO radical can be treated as a member of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which play key roles in biological oxidation reactions, in agreement with previous literature reports.     

Kinetic studies of the self‐reaction and reaction with HO2 of a tertiary β‐brominated peroxy radical between 298 and 393 K

The kinetics of reactions of the tertiary β‐brominated peroxy radical BrC(CH₃)₂C(CH₃)₂O₂ (2‐bromo‐1,1,2‐trimethylpropylperoxy) have been studied using the laser flash photolysis technique, photolysing HBr at 248 nm in the presence of O₂ and 2,3‐dimethylbut‐2‐ene. At room temperature, a rate constant of (2.0 ± 0.8) × 10⁻¹⁴ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ was determined for the BrC(CH₃)₂C(CH₃)₂O₂ self‐reaction. The reaction of BrC(CH₃)₂C(CH₃)₂O₂ with HO₂ was investigated in the temperature range 306–393 K, yielding the following Arrhenius expression: k(BrC(CH₃)₂C(CH₃)₂O₂ + HO₂) = (2.04 ± 0.25) × 10⁻¹² exp[(501 ± 36)K/T] cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, giving by extrapolation (1.10 ± 0.13) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 298 K. These results confirm the enhancement of the peroxy radical self‐reaction reactivity upon β‐substitution, which is similar for Br and OH substituents. In contrast, no significant effect of substituent has been observed on the rate constant for the reactions of peroxy radicals with HO₂. The global uncertainty factors on rate constants are equal to nearly 2 for the self‐reaction and to 1.35 for the reaction with HO₂. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 41–48, 2001     

Ab initio Mechanism Study on the Reaction of Chlorine Atom with Formic Acid

The potential energy surface(PES) for the reaction of Cl atom with HCOOH is predicted using ab initio molecular orbital calculation methods at UQCIDS(T,full)6-311 G(3df,2p)//UMP2(full)/6-311 G(d,P) level of theory with zero-point vibrational energy (ZPVE) correction.The calculated results show that the reaction mechanism of Cl atom with formic acid is a C-site hydrogen abstraction reaction from cis-HOC(H)O molecule by Cl atom with a 3.73kJ/mol reaction barrier height,leading to the formation of cis-HOCO radical which will reacts with Cl atom or other molecules in such a reaction system.Because the reaction barrier height of O-site hydrogen abstraction reaction from cis-HOC(H)O molecule by Cl atom which leads to the formation of HCO2 radical is 67.95kJ/mol,it is a secondary reaction channel in experiment,This is in good agreement with the prediction based on the previous experiments.     

Measurements of the kinetics of the OH‐initiated oxidation of isoprene: Radical propagation in the OH + isoprene + O2 + NO reaction system

The mechanism of the OH‐initiated oxidation of isoprene in the presence of NO and O₂ has been investigated using a discharge‐flow system at 298 K and 2 torr total pressure. OH radical concentration profiles were measured using laser‐induced fluorescence as a function of reaction time. The rate constant for the reaction of OH + isoprene was measured to be (1.10 ± 0.05) × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹. In the presence of NO and O₂, regeneration of OH radicals by the reaction of isoprene‐based peroxy radicals with NO was measured and compared to simulations of the kinetics of this system. The results of these experiments are consistent with an overall rate constant of 9 × 10⁻¹² cm³ mol⁻¹ mol⁻¹ (with an uncertainty factor of 2) for the reaction of isoprene‐based hydroxyalkyl peroxy radicals with NO. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 31: 637–643, 1999     

Thermodynamic and kinetic study of ibuprofen with hydroxyl radical: A density functional theory approach

Ibuprofen, a frequently detected pharmaceutical in natural and engineered waters, was studied in both neutral and anionic forms using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6‐311++G**//B3LYP/6‐31G* level of theory in its reaction with hydroxyl radical ( ? OH). The reaction pathways included ? OH addition to aromatic ring, abstraction of a H‐atom, and nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl group. The results showed that H‐atom abstraction pathways are the most favorable. The free energy change for H‐atom abstraction reaction ranges from ?37.8 to ?15.9 kcal/mol; for ? OH addition ranges from ?3.85 to ?1.23 kcal/mol; and for nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl group is 13.9 kcal/mol. The calculated rate constant between neutral ibuprofen and ? OH, 6.72 × 10⁹ M^?1s^?1, is consistent with the experimental value, 6.5 ± 0.2 × 10⁹ M^?1s^?1. Our results provide direct evidence for byproduct formation and identification on the molecular level. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

ZnO and TiO2 clusters as catalyst in the addition and abstraction reaction of acrylic acid with the OH radical

The present work displays the theoretical analysis on the role of metal oxide clusters as an effective catalyst in the reaction between acrylic acid and OH radical, which has an energy barrier of 12.4 kcal/mol. The formation of metal oxide cluster such as ZnO and TiO₂ with varying size from monomer to hexamer is analyzed using cohesive energy, which increases with cluster size. Adsorption of acrylic acid on clusters reveals that dimer ZnO and tetramer TiO₂ are good adsorbed entities. The dimer ZnO and tetramer TiO₂ clusters have reduced the barrier height. However, from the thermodynamical analysis of H-abstraction and OH addition reaction, the dimer ZnO cluster is found to be a good catalyst than a tetramer TiO₂ cluster. The favorable H abstraction and OH addition reactions are feasible at the active methylene group (–CH). OH addition reactions dominate over the H abstraction reaction. Further, the presence of metal oxide clusters enhances the rate of the reaction between acrylic acid and OH radical. The kinetics of the favorable reaction with a dimer ZnO cluster has a rate constant of 7.80 × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, which is higher than the literature report (1.75 × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹). Overall, ZnO and TiO₂ metal oxide clusters can be effectively utilized as catalyst.     

Direct ab initio dynamics study of the reaction of C2(A3Πu) with CH4

The reaction of C₂(A³Π_u) with CH₄ has been investigated over a wide temperature range 200–3,000 K by direct ab initio dynamics method at the BMC‐CCSD//BB1K/6‐311+G(2d,2p) level of theory. The optimized geometries and frequencies of the stationary points are calculated at the BB1K/6‐311+G(2d,2p) level, and then the energy profiles of the reactions are refined using the BMC‐CCSD method. The activation barrier height for H‐abstraction reaction was calculated to be 4.44 kcal/mol in temperature range (337–605 K), and the electron transfer behavior was also analyzed by quasi‐restricted molecular orbital method in detail. The canonical variational transition‐state theory (CVT) with the small curvature tunneling (SCT) correction method is used to calculate the rate constants over a wide temperature range 200–3,000 K. The theoretical results shows that variational effect is to some extent large in lower temperature range, and small curvature and tunneling effect play important roles to the H‐atom abstraction only at lower temperatures. The CVT/SCT rate constants are in good agreement with the available experimental results. Our theoretical study is expected to provide a direct insight into the reaction mechanism and may be useful for estimating the kinetics of the title reaction over a wide temperature range where no experimental data are available so far. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

Nitramine and nitrosamine formation is a minor pathway in the atmospheric oxidation of methylamine: A theoretical kinetic study of the CH3NH + O2 reaction

The atmospheric oxidation of amines proceeds via initial radical attack at C–H or N–H bonds to form carbon- and nitrogen-centered radicals, respectively. It is conventionally assumed that nitrogen-centered aminyl radicals react slowly with oxygen in the troposphere and associate predominantly with the radicals ^•NO and NO₂^• to form toxic nitrosamines and nitramines. We have used theoretical kinetic modeling techniques to study the prototypical CH₃N^•H + O₂ reaction and have shown that it proceeds to CH₂NH + HO₂^• under tropospheric conditions with a rate coefficient of 3.6 × 10⁻¹⁷ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. Although this value is low compared to the competing NO_x reactions (∼10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹), the much higher concentration of O₂ versus NO_x in air makes it the dominant process in the atmospheric oxidation of methylamine for NO_x concentrations below 100 ppb. The mechanism identified here is available to amines with primary, secondary, and tertiary α carbons and suggests that they may be less likely to form nitramines and nitrosamines than is currently thought.     

A Theoretical Study of the Kinetics of the Hydrogen Atom Abstraction Reactions from Cyclopropane by H,O (3P), and Cl (2P3/2) Atoms and OH Radicals

The rate constants of the H‐abstraction reactions from cyclopropane by H, O (³P), Cl (²P_3/2), and OH radicals have been calculated over the temperature range of 250?2500 K using two different levels of theory. Calculations of optimized geometrical parameters and vibrational frequencies are performed using the MP2 method combined with the cc‐pVTZ basis set and the 6–311++G(d,p) basis set. Single‐point energy calculations have been carried out with the highly correlated ab initio coupled cluster method in the space of single, double, and triple (perturbatively) electron excitations CCSD(T) using either the cc‐pVTZ, aug‐cc‐pVTZ, and aug‐cc‐pVQZ basis sets or the 6–311++G(3df,3pd) basis set. The CCSD(T) calculated potential energies have been extrapolated to the complete basis limit (CBS) limit. The Full Configuration Interaction (FCI) energies have been also estimated using the continued‐fraction approximation as proposed by Goodson (J. Chem. Phys., 2002, 116, 6948–6956). Canonical transition‐state theory combined with an Eckart tunneling correction has been used to predict the rate constants as a function of temperature using two kinetic models (direct abstraction or complex mechanism) at two levels of theory (CCSD(T)‐cf/CBS//MP2/cc‐pVTZ and CCSD(T)‐cf/6–311++G(3df,3pd)//MP2/6–311++G(d,p)). The calculated kinetic parameters are in reasonable agreement with their literature counterparts for all reactions. In the light of these trends, the use of the Pople‐style basis sets for studying the reactivity of other systems such as larger cycloalkanes or halogenated cycloalkanes is recommended because the 6–311++G(3df,3pd) basis set is less time consuming than the aug‐cc‐pVQZ basis set. Based on our calculations performed at the CCSD(T)‐cf/CBS//MP2/cc‐pVTZ level of theory, the standard enthalpy of formation at 298 K for the cyclopropyl radical has been reassessed and its value is (290.5 ± 1.6) kJ mol^?1.     

The hydroxyl radical reaction rate constant and atmospheric transformation products of 2‐propoxyethanol

The relative rate technique has been used to measure the hydroxyl radical (OH) reaction rate constant of 2‐propoxyethanol (2PEOH, CH₃CH₂CH₂OCH₂CH₂(OH)). 2PEOH reacts with OH with a bimolecular rate constant of (21.4 ± 6.0) × 10⁻¹² cm³molecule⁻¹s⁻¹ at 297 ± 3 K and 1 atm total pressure, which is a little larger than previously reported [1]. Assuming an average OH concentration of 1 × 10⁶ molecules cm⁻³, an atmospheric lifetime of 13 h is calculated for 2PEOH. In order to more clearly define this hydroxy ether's atmospheric reaction mechanism, an investigation into the OH + 2PEOH reaction products was also conducted. The OH + 2PEOH reaction products and yields observed were: propyl formate (PF, 47 ± 2%, CH₃CH₂CH₂OC(O)H), 2 propoxyethanal (CH₃CH₂CH₂OCH₂C(O)H 15 ± 1%), and 2‐ethyl‐1,3‐dioxolane (5.4 ± 0.4%). The 2PEOH reaction mechanism is discussed in light of current understanding of oxygenated hydrocarbon atmospheric chemistry. The findings reported here can be related to other structurally similar alcohols and may impact regulatory tools such as ground‐level ozone‐forming potential calculations (incremental reactivity) [2]. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 31: 315–322, 1999     

Theoretical and kinetic study of the H + C2H5CN reaction

The reaction of H radical with C₂H₅CN has been studied using various quantum chemistry methods. The geometries were optimized at the B3LYP/6‐311+G(d,p) and B3LYP/6‐311++G(2d,2p) levels. The single‐point energies were calculated using G3 and BMC‐CCSD methods based on B3LYP/6‐311++G(2d,2p) geometries. Four mechanisms were investigated, namely, hydrogen abstraction, C‐addition/elimination, N‐addition/elimination and substitution. The kinetics of this reaction were studied using the transition state theory and multichannel Rice‐Ramsperger‐Kassel‐Marcus methodologies over a wide temperature range of 200–3000 K. The calculated results indicate that C‐addition/elimination channel is the most feasible over the whole temperature range. The deactivation of initial adduct C₂H₅CHN is dominant at lower temperature with bath gas H₂ of 760 Torr; whereas C₂H₅+HCN is the dominant product at higher temperature. Our calculated rate constants are in good agreement with the available experimental data. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Theoretical study of reactions of N2O with NO and OH radicals

The reactions of N₂O with NO and OH radicals have been studied using ab initio molecular orbital theory. The energetics and molecular parameters, calculated by the modified Gaussian-2 method (G2M), have been used to compute the reaction rate constants on the basis of the TST and RRKM theories. The reaction N₂O + NO → N₂ + NO₂ (1) was found to proceed by direct oxygen abstraction and to have a barrier of 47 kcal/mol. The theoretical rate constant, k₁ = 8.74 × 10⁻¹⁹ × T^2.23 exp (−23,292/T) cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, is in close agreement with earlier estimates. The reaction of N₂O with OH at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure is slow and dominated by association, resulting in the HONNO intermediate. The calculated rate constant for 300 K ≤ T ≤ 500 K is lower by a few orders than the upper limits previously reported in the literature. At temperatures higher than 1000 K, the N₂O + OH reaction is dominated by the N₂ + O₂H channel, while the HNO + NO channel is slower by 2–3 orders of magnitude. The calculated rate constants at the temperature range of 1000–5000 K for N₂O + OH → N₂ + O₂H (2A) and N₂O + OH → HNO + NO (2B) are fitted by the following expressions: in units of cm³ molecule ⁻¹s⁻¹. Both N₂O + NO and N₂O + OH reactions are confirmed to enhance, albeit inefficiently, the N₂O decomposition by reducing its activation energy. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Direct Ab Initio Dynamics Study on the Reaction of CH3CHF2 (HFC‐152a) with the Cl Atom

A direct ab initio dynamics method is used to investigate the hydrogen‐abstraction reaction CH₃CHF₂+Cl. One transition state is located for α‐H abstraction, and two are identified for β‐H abstraction. The potential‐energy surface (PES) is obtained at the G3(MP2)//MP2/6‐311G(d, p) level. Furthermore, the rate constants of the three channels are evaluated by using canonical variational transition‐state theory (CVT) with small‐curvature tunneling (SCT) contributions over a wide temperature range of 200–2500 K. The dynamic calculations show that the reaction proceeds mainly by α‐H abstraction over the whole temperature range. The calculated rate constants and branching ratios are both in good agreement with the available experimental values.     

On the kinetic mechanism of the hydrogen abstraction reactions of the hydroxyl radical with CH3CF2Cl and CH3CFCl2: A dual level direct dynamics study

By means of the dual‐level direct dynamics method, the mechanisms of the reactions, CH₃CF₂Cl + OH → products (R1) and CH₃CFCl₂ + OH → products (R2), are studied over a wide temperature range 200–2000 K. The optimized geometries and frequencies of the stationary points are calculated at the MP2/6‐311G(d,p) level, and then the energy profiles of the reactions are refined with the interpolated single‐point energy method at the G3(MP2) level. The canonical variational transition‐state theory with the small‐curvature tunneling (SCT) correction method is used to calculate the rate constants. For the title reactions, three reaction channels are identified and the H‐abstraction channel is the major pathway. The results indicate that F substitution has a significant (reductive) effect on hydrochlorofluorocarbon reactivity. Also, for all H‐abstraction reaction channels the variational effect is small and the SCT effect is only important in the lower temperature range on the rate constants calculation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Features of the potential energy surface for the reaction of HO2 radical with acetone

The mechanism of the reaction of acetone with HO₂ has been studied by quantum chemical computations. Different stationary points on the potential energy surface (PES) of the reaction have been characterized. These stationary points are the reactants, products, molecular complexes, and transition states. Three pathways have been studied: two H‐abstraction channels and one HO₂‐addition channel. The MP2 level of theory with the 6‐311G(d,p) basis set was employed for geometry optimization. The electronic energies was obtained at the PMP2, PMP4, and CCSD(T) level of theory with the 6‐311G(d,p) basis set on the computed geometries. The addition pathway is clearly the more favorable, contrary to the acetone + OH system. The pre‐reactive hydrogen‐bonded complexes have been characterized and show a large red shift between the O? H stretching frequency in the HO₂ radical and the one in the HO₂ fragment of intermolecular complexes. Our addition rate constant k₊ at T = 298 K (3.49 × 10^?16 cm³ s^?1) is consistent with previous experimental results (giving an upper limit of the rate constant of 6 × 10^?16 cm³ s^?1 at 298 K). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Mechanisms for the Breakdown of Halomethanes through Reactions with Ground‐State Cyano Radicals

One route to break down halomethanes is through reactions with radical species. The capability of the artificial force‐induced reaction algorithm to efficiently explore a large number of radical reaction pathways has been illustrated for reactions between haloalkanes (CX₃Y; X=H, F; Y=Cl, Br) and ground‐state (²Σ⁺) cyano radicals (CN). For CH₃Cl+CN, 71 stationary points in eight different pathways have been located and, in agreement with experiment, the highest rate constant (10⁸ s^?1 M ^?1 at 298 K) is obtained for hydrogen abstraction. For CH₃Br, the rate constants for hydrogen and halogen abstraction are similar (10⁹ s^?1 M ^?1), whereas replacing hydrogen with fluorine eliminates the hydrogen‐abstraction route and decreases the rate constants for halogen abstraction by 2–3 orders of magnitude. The detailed mapping of stationary points allows accurate calculations of product distributions, and the encouraging rate constants should motivate future studies with other radicals.