Comparison between experimental and calculated results on the decomposition of chemically activated alcohols

The life times of chemically activated alcohols have been determined using the high-pressure unimolecular rate parameters for thermal decomposition of alcohols from shocktube studies and RRKM calculations. They are compared with literature numbers (from insertion of 0(¹D) into hydrocarbons). It is suggested that in some cases singlet oxygen carries excess energy into the hydrocarbon. The consequences of such an assumption are explored and discrepancies with previously published conclusions discussed.     

Solidification and melting of cetane confined in the nanopores of silica gel

Synthetic silica gels with six different effective diameters of nano-pores (3–30 nm) were loaded with n-hexadecane (cetane) after the elimination of adsorbed water. Kinetics of the solidification and melting of cetane was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) above the room temperature. Two thermodynamically different states of cetane were found in the samples: the free (bulk)-cetane state and the confined-cetane state. As suspected, the third state of cetane can be amorphous. This has been indicated by the small total transformation heat. The complex crystallization effect of cetane has been found to obey the nucleation-and-growth kinetics and also to depend on the dimensions of confining pores of silica gel. The melting of cetane seems to vary only with the average diameter of silica gel pores, which satisfies the Gibbs–Thompson relation. The presented results validate the applicability of the DSC technique for the porometry. The cetane-medium calibration curve for the silica gel nano-thermoporometry has been determined.     

Paraffin fractions as additives to diesel fuels increasing their cetane number

Paraffins were purified by recrystallization. The extent to which the paraffin fractions C₁₀–C₁₃, C₁₄–C₁₇, and C₁₈–C₂₃ increase the cetane numbers of summer and winter grades of Russian diesel fuel was examined. The cetane numbers of the initial diesel fuels and those with additions of paraffin fractions were determined on an IDT-69 installation by the method of flash coincidence.     

The gas‐phase oxidation of n‐hexadecane

Since n‐hexadecane or cetane is a reference fuel for the estimation of cetane numbers in diesel engines, a detailed chemical model of its gas‐phase oxidation and combustion will help to enhance diesel performance and reduce the emission of pollutants at their outlet. However, until recently the gas‐phase reactions of n‐hexadecane had not been experimentally studied, prohibiting a validation of oxidation models which could be written. This paper presents a modeling study of the oxidation of n‐hexadecane based on experiments performed in a jet‐stirred reactor, at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1250 K, 1‐atm pressure, a constant mean residence time of 0.07 s, and high degree of nitrogen dilution (0.03 mol% of fuel) for equivalence ratios equal to 0.5, 1, and 1.5. A detailed kinetic mechanism was automatically generated by using the computer package (EXGAS) developed in Nancy. The long linear chain of this alkane necessitates the use of a detailed secondary mechanism for the consumption of the alkenes formed as a result of primary parent fuel decomposition. This high‐temperature mechanism includes 1787 reactions and 265 species, featuring satisfactory agreement for both the consumption of reactants and the formation of products. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 574–586, 2001     

Microwave Discharge in Liquid Hydrocarbons: Study of a Liquid Hydrocarbon after Exciting the Discharge

Changes in liquid hydrocarbons (hexane, cyclohexane, n-heptane, isooctane, decane, pentadecane, cetane, petroleum solvent, benzene, toluene, and o-xylene) have been studied after exciting a microwave discharge in their bulk. The experiments have been carried out at atmospheric pressure. For the analysis, GC/MS, IR spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering methods have been used. It has been shown that new compounds and nanoparticles are formed in the hydrocarbons.     

π‐Electron currents in larger fully aromatic benzenoids

Recently, we have reported on calculation of π‐electron ring currents in several smaller fully benzenoid hydrocarbons having up to eight fused benzene rings and five Clar π‐aromatic sextets. In contrast to early HMO ring current calculations and more recent ab initio calculations of π‐electron density, our current calculations are based on a graph theoretical model in which contributions to ring currents comes from currents associated with individual conjugated circuits. In this contribution, we consider several larger fully benzenoid hydrocarbons having from 9 to 13 fused rings and from six or seven π‐aromatic sextets. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Atomic pseudopotentials for reproducing π-orbital electron behavior in sp2 carbon atoms

A pseudopotential system for an sp² carbon atom is built and tested as a building block for various pseudohydrocarbon polyenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This pseudosystem has a central charge of Z = 1; it contains only one electron. It is employed in ab-initio calculations in which several physical characteristics including the orbital energies and first ionization energy, as well as first excitation energy and UV spectra, are found to be well-reproduced by the pseudosystem. Remarkably, not only are the π excitation energies in good agreement with the reference calculations, but also transition densities and intensities, confirming that the virtual space obtained with the pseudopotentials is of excellent quality. Finally, this approach is capable of reproducing the π electron systems of small or large, planar or nonplanar hydrocarbons at low computational cost.     

Evaluation of MINDO/3 calculated structures. II. Branching errors in alkanes and cycloalkanes

MINDO/3 calculations have been carried out for a series of branched chain alkanes in order to assess effects of branching on calculated geometries and heats of formation (ΔH_f). With vicinal branching, MINDO/3 calculates the central C? C bond to be too long. Bond angles are also found to be distorted. Errors in calculated heats of formation are large when geminal branching is present and significant with vicinal branching. Branching error corrections for ΔH_f have been derived and applied to a separate series of branched acyclic and cyclic compounds. For the test sample, application of the branching error corrections gave calculated structures of acyclic branched hydrocarbons with heats of formation having an average absolute error of 1.3 kcal/mole rather than 17.3 kcal/mole before correction. Cyclic branched hydrocarbons are shown to be less well corrected. Calculations of heats of reaction have also been carried out for some isomerization and cyclization reactions using the MINDO/3 and MNDO methods. It is clear from the comparisons that MNDO calculations give less severe errors for highly branched compounds but the errors are still substantial. For prediction of heats of reaction, the error-corrected calculations are shown to be superior to the “raw” calculations obtained by MINDO/3 or MNDO.     

Anilate Tethered Neutral Tetrahedral Pd(II) Cages Exhibiting Selective Encapsulation of Xylenes and Mesitylene

The design of porous materials for the recognition of multiple hydrocarbons is highly desirable for the energy-efficient separation and recognition of chemical feedstock. Herein, three new iso-structural porous discrete metal–organic cages of formula {[Pd₃(NiPr)₃PO]₄(R-AN)₆} (R-AN=anilate linkers) for the selective recognition of substituted aromatic hydrocarbons are reported. The tetrahedral cages 1 , 2 , and 3 containing anilate, chloranilate, and bromanilate linkers exhibited selective encapsulation of mesitylene, o-xylene, and p-xylene, respectively, over other analogous aromatic hydrocarbons. These selective encapsulations were driven by the variations in the portal diameters present at each of these cages and their interactions with the hydrocarbon guests. These observations are supported by mass spectrometry, NMR studies, and theoretical binding-energy calculations.     

Identification of Petroleum Products in Environmental Samples Using Gas Chromatography and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Typical analytical features of petroleum products in environmental samples were considered. Among them are typical shapes of chromatograms; peaks of n-alkanes; the ratio between n-alkanes with even and odd numbers of carbon atoms; peaks of biomarkers (isoprenanes, steranes, triterpanes, etc.); the predominance of methyl- and alkyl-substituted mono-, bi-, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons over unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbons; and other features. These features altogether enable reliable conclusions about the petroleum origin of the identified pollutants to be made.     

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Study of Radical Pairs and Isolated Radicals Trapped in Irradiated Long-Chain Hydrocarbons at Low Temperatures

The intrinsic characteristics of radical pairs produced in squalane and in cetane receiving high gamma-dose are extensively studied with the EPR technique at temperatures from 77°K up to 150°K. The spectra of the paired radicals occur at g=4 with a very low transition probability in contrast to that of isolated radicals which appear at g=2 A well-resolved hyperfine spectrum corresponding to the species (CH₃CH₂.CH₂CH₃) is observed in cetane. The isothermal decay rates of radical pairs in cetane below 100°K are significantly slow; however, the decay kinetics at 150°K is first order with rate constant=1.86 min^?1. A relatively slower decay rate is obtained for isolated radicals suggesting that the decay mechanism of paired radicals is through geminate recombination. The relative inter-radical distance in radical pairs is known from a decay curve as a function of temperature. The yields of radical pairs are low in both matrices, only few percents of those of isolated radicals. The formation mechanisms of paired radicals with direct radiolytic bond scission process are discussed in connection with the experimental observations.     

Calculation of retention indices in programmed-temperature gas chromatography by improved linear interpolation

In order to determine the retention indices of compounds in programmed-temperature gas chromatography as precisely as possible, a series of hydrocarbons having successive carbon numbers is mixed with the solution. The addition of reference products to complex mixtures often results in peak interferences; by adding paraffins with even carbon numbers only, the risk of overlapping of peaks diminishes at the expense of precision. This paper describes a method of improved linear interpolation which gives reliable results of the same accuracy as would have been obtained if the whole series of alkanes had been added. Computer programs have been designed for calculations based on linear as well as improved linear interpolations in on-line and off-line applications.     

Vapour-liquid equilibrium and critical locus curve calculations with the soave equation for hydrocarbon systems with carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide

Huron, M.-J., Dufour, G.-N. and Vidal, J., 1978. Vapour-liquid equilibrium and critical locus curve calculations with the Soave equation for hydrocarbon systems with carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 1: 247–265The aim of this work is to test the value of the Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation of state for predicting phase behaviour of mixtures. Special attention is paid to systems containing hydrogen sulphide or carbon dioxide with hydrocarbons. The properties analysed are critical loci and liquid vapour equilibria, with calculations of standard deviations for pressures and compositions. Optimum values of binary interaction parameters are proposed for these mixtures. Calculation methods to avoid trivial solutions in phase equilibria calculations and for finding critical loci with temperature extrema are described.     

Molecular geometries from spin Hamiltonian calculations through simultaneous optimization of geometry and wave function

The recently developed spin Hamiltonian approach to conjugated-electron molecules is reexamined. A simultaneous optimization of the geometry and wave functions, achieved by the use of the conjugate gradient method, facilitates calculations of the molecular geometries in the ground and excited electronic states. The computation time increases approximately linearly with the number of basis functions, making calculations for molecules having up to 18 carbon atoms (48 620 basis functions) readily available. Geometries of several benzenoid hydrocarbons are optimized and the results are discussed.     

A simplex optimized INDO calculation of 13C chemical shifts in hydrocarbons

The variable-size simplex optimization method is used to reparametrize the I + A and β parameters of an INDO approximation to the perturbed Hartree–Fock calculation of ¹³C chemical shifts in hydrocarbons. The absolute shifts for 39 nuclei in a set of molecules containing up to four carbons are reproduced within a standard error of 9.9 ppm for an unconstrained optimization and to a standard error of 10.0 ppm for an optimization constrained to yield gross atomic charges in agreement with double-zeta ab initio calculations.     

Enthalpy of formation and bond energies on unsaturated oxygenated hydrocarbons using G3MP2B3 calculation methods

Enthalpies of unsaturated oxygenated hydrocarbons and radicals corresponding to the loss of hydrogen atoms from the parent molecules are intermediates and decomposition products in the oxidation and combustion of aromatic and polyaromatic species. Enthalpies (Δ_fH⁰₂₉₈) are calculated for a set of 27 oxygenated and nonoxygenated, unsaturated hydrocarbons and 12 radicals at the G3MP2B3 level of theory and with the commonly used B3LYP/6‐311g(d,p) density functional theory (DFT) method. Standard enthalpies of formation (Δ_fH⁰₂₉₈) are determined from the calculated enthalpy of reaction (ΔH⁰_rxn,298) using isodesmic work reactions with reference species that have accurately known Δ_fH⁰₂₉₈ values. The deviation between G3MP2B3 and B3LYP methods is under ±0.5 kcal mol^?1 for 9 species, 18 other species differs by less than ±1 kcal mol^?1 , and 11 species differ by about 1.5 kcal mol^?1. Under them are 11 radicals derived from the above‐oxygenated hydrocarbons that show good agreement between G3MP2B3 and B3LYP methods. G3 calculations have been performed to further validate enthalpy values, where a discrepancy of more than 2.5 kcal mol^?1 exists between the G3MP3B3 and density functional results. Surprisingly the G3 calculations support the density functional calculations in these several nonagreement cases. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 37: 633–648, 2005     

Is tetramethyleneethane a ground state triplet?

We have examined a number of possible ways by which tetramethyleneethane (TME) can be a ground state triplet, as claimed by experimental studies, in violation of Ovchinnikov’s theorem for alternant hydrocarbons of equal bond lengths. Model exact π calculations of the low-lying states of TME, 3,4-dimethylenefuran and 3,4-dimethylenepyrrole were carried out using a diagrammatic valence bond approach. The calculations failed to yield a triplet ground state even after (a) tuning of electron correlation, (b) breaking alternancy symmetry, and (c) allowing for geometric distortions. In contrast to earlier studies of fine structure constants in other conjugated systems, the computedD andE values of all the low-lying triplet states of TME for various geometries are at least an order of magnitude different from the experimentally reported values. Incorporation of σ-π mixing by means of UHF MNDO calculations is found to favour a singlet ground state even further. A reinterpretation of the experimental results of TME is therefore suggested to resolve the conflict.     

Palladium-Catalyzed Cyclization of a Pyryne Precursor to Higher Pyrenylenes

The palladium catalyzed cyclotrimerization of ortho-silylaryl triflates as aryne precursors is meanwhile an established method to synthesize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with triphenylene cores. During the palladium-catalyzed reaction of a pyrene with an o-silylaryl triflate moiety in the K-region higher homologues with central eight- and ten-membered rings (the pyrenylenes) were found, besides the expected trimer and a protocol was developed to isolate all members of this series. This unprecedented new class of PAHs was fully investigated by all means, including X-ray diffraction of single-crystals, UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. Supported by density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, a mechanism of all higher cyclooligomers is proposed.     

The structural dependence of vicinal 13C?13C coupling constants in s-cis-butane and cis-butane

The dependence of three-bond ¹³C-¹³C couplings of cis-butane and cis-butene on the valence angle, the torsional angle of the methyl groups and methyl and methylene substituents is discussed on the basis of INDO-SCPT calculations. The results support the interpretation of the experimental couplings between the bridgehead carbons of bicyclic hydrocarbons based on a multiple-path mechanism.     

Molecular enthalpies: 2. ground-state thermodynamic and computed enthalpies of bicyclo[2.2.2]octa-2,5,7-triene and its hydrogenation products

This article is a continuation of our investigation of enthalpies of formation and strain-compensated enthalpies of hydrogenation of medium-sized hydrocarbons. We have carried out calculations of H _f by MM2, MM3, and by the MNDO, AM1, and PM3 semi-empirical molecular orbital methods. Results are given for the bicyclo[2.2]octa-2,5,7-triene series ([2.2.2]barrelenes) Two of these compounds are potentially homoantiaromatic. Comparisons with ab initio calculations are made. A novel method of estimating strain relaxation during the stepwise hydrogenation of [2.2.2]barrelene is given.