Combined valence bond-molecular mechanics potential-energy surface and direct dynamics study of rate constants and kinetic isotope effects for the H + C2H6 reaction

This article presents a multifaceted study of the reaction H+C(2)H(6)-->H(2)+C(2)H(5) and three of its deuterium-substituted isotopologs. First we present high-level electronic structure calculations by the W1, G3SX, MCG3-MPWB, CBS-APNO, and MC-QCISD/3 methods that lead to a best estimate of the barrier height of 11.8+/-0.5 kcal/mol. Then we obtain a specific reaction parameter for the MPW density functional in order that it reproduces the best estimate of the barrier height; this yields the MPW54 functional. The MPW54 functional, as well as the MPW60 functional that was previously parametrized for the H+CH(4) reaction, is used with canonical variational theory with small-curvature tunneling to calculate the rate constants for all four ethane reactions from 200 to 2000 K. The final MPW54 calculations are based on curvilinear-coordinate generalized-normal-mode analysis along the reaction path, and they include scaled frequencies and an anharmonic C-C bond torsion. They agree with experiment within 31% for 467-826 K except for a 38% deviation at 748 K; the results for the isotopologs are predictions since these rate constants have never been measured. The kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) are analyzed to reveal the contributions from subsets of vibrational partition functions and from tunneling, which conspire to yield a nonmonotonic temperature dependence for one of the KIEs. The stationary points and reaction-path potential of the MPW54 potential-energy surface are then used to parametrize a new kind of analytical potential-energy surface that combines a semiempirical valence bond formalism for the reactive part of the molecule with a standard molecular mechanics force field for the rest; this may be considered to be either an extension of molecular mechanics to treat a reactive potential-energy surface or a new kind of combined quantum-mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) method in which the QM part is semiempirical valence bond theory; that is, the new potential-energy surface is a combined valence bond molecular mechanics (CVBMM) surface. Rate constants calculated with the CVBMM surface agree with the MPW54 rate constants within 12% for 534-2000 K and within 23% for 200-491 K. The full CVBMM potential-energy surface is now available for use in variety of dynamics calculations, and it provides a prototype for developing CVBMM potential-energy surfaces for other reactions.     

A dual-level ab initio and hybrid density functional theory dynamics study on the unimolecular decomposition reaction C2H5O-->CH2O + CH3

We present a direct ab initio and hybrid density functional theory dynamics study of the thermal rate constants of the unimolecular decomposition reaction of C2H5O-->CH2O + CH3 at a high-pressure limit. MPW1K/6-31+G(d,p), MP2/6-31+G(d,p), and MP2(full)/6-31G(d) methods were employed to optimize the geometries of all stationary points and to calculate the minimum energy path (MEP). The energies of all the stationary points were refined at a series of multicoefficient and multilevel methods. Among all methods, the QCISD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ energies are in good agreement with the available experimental data. The rate constants were evaluated based on the energetics from the QCISD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ//MPW1K/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory using both microcanonical variational transition state theory (microVT) and RRKM theory with the Eckart tunneling correction in the temperature range of 300-2500 K. The calculated rate constants at the QCISD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ/MPW1K/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory are in good consistent with experimental data. The fitted three-parameter Arrhenius expression from the microVT/Eckart rate constants in the temperature range 200-2500 K is k = 2.52 x 10(12)T(0.41)e(-8894.0/T) s(-1). The falloff curves of pressure-dependent rate constants are performed using master-equation method within the temperature range of 391-471 K. The calculated results are in good agreement with the available experimental data.     

High-level direct-dynamics variational transition state theory calculations including multidimensional tunneling of the thermal rate constants, branching ratios, and kinetic isotope effects of the hydrogen abstraction reactions from methanol by atomic hydrogen

We report a detailed theoretical study of the hydrogen abstraction reaction from methanol by atomic hydrogen. The study includes the analysis of thermal rate constants, branching ratios, and kinetic isotope effects. Specifically, we have performed high-level computations at the MC3BB level together with direct dynamics calculations by canonical variational transition state theory (CVT) with the microcanonically optimized multidimensional tunneling (μOMT) transmission coefficient (CVT/μOMT) to study both the CH(3)OH+H→CH(2)OH+H(2) (R1) reaction and the CH(3)OH+H→CH(3)O+H(2) (R2) reaction. The CVT/μOMT calculations show that reaction R1 dominates in the whole range 298≤T (K)≤2500 and that anharmonic effects on the torsional mode about the C-O bond are important, mainly at high temperatures. The activation energy for the total reaction sum of R1 and R2 reactions changes substantially with temperature and, therefore, the use of straight-line Arrhenius plots is not valid. We recommend the use of new expressions for the total R1 + R2 reaction and for the R1 and R2 individual reactions.     

Kinetic isotope effects for Cl + CH4 ⇌ HCl + CH3 calculated using ab initio semiclassical transition state theory

Calculations were carried out for 25 isotopologues of the title reaction for various combinations of (35)Cl, (37)Cl, (12)C, (13)C, (14)C, H, and D. The computed rate constants are based on harmonic vibrational frequencies calculated at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory and X(ij) vibrational anharmonicity coefficients calculated at the CCSD(T) /aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory. For some reactions, anharmonicity coefficients were also computed at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory. The classical reaction barrier was taken from Eskola et al. [J. Phys. Chem. A 2008, 112, 7391-7401], who extrapolated CCSD(T) calculations to the complete basis set limit. Rate constants were calculated for temperatures from ～100 to ～2000 K. The computed ab initio rate constant for the normal isotopologue is in good agreement with experiments over the entire temperature range (～10% lower than the recommended experimental value at 298 K). The ab initio H/D kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) for CH(3)D, CH(2)D(2), CHD(3), and CD(4) are in very good agreement with literature experimental data. The ab initio (12)C/(13)C KIE is in error by ～2% at 298 K for calculations using X(ij) coefficients computed with the aug-cc-pVDZ basis set, but the error is reduced to ～1% when X(ij) coefficients computed with the larger aug-cc-pVTZ basis set are used. Systematic improvements appear to be possible. The present SCTST results are found to be more accurate than those from other theoretical calculations. Overall, this is a very promising method for computing ab initio kinetic isotope effects.     

Benchmark database of barrier heights for heavy atom transfer, nucleophilic substitution, association, and unimolecular reactions and its use to test theoretical methods

A benchmark database of forward and reverse barrier heights for 19 non-hydrogen-transfer reactions has been developed by using Weizmann 1 calculations, and 29 DFT methods and 6 ab initio wave-function theory (WFT) methods have been tested against the new database as well as against an older database for hydrogen atom transfer reactions. Among the tested hybrid DFT methods without kinetic energy density, MPW1K is the most accurate model for calculations of barrier heights. Among the tested hybrid meta DFT methods, BB1K and MPWB1K are the two most accurate models for the calculations of barrier heights. Overall, the results show that BB1K and MPWB1K are the two best DFT methods for calculating barrier heights, followed in order by MPW1K, MPWKCIS1K, B1B95, MPW1B95, BH and HLYP, B97-2, mPW1PW91, and B98. The popular B3LYP method has a mean unsigned error four times larger than that of BB1K. Of the methods tested, QCISD(T) is the best ab initio WFT method for barrier height calculations, and QCISD is second best, but QCISD is outperformed by the BB1K, MPWB1K, MPWKCIS1K, and MPW1K methods.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the carbon-13 and deuterium kinetic isotope effects in the Cl and OH reactions of CH3F

A laser flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence technique has been employed to determine absolute rate coefficients for the CH3F + Cl reaction in N2 bath gas in the temperature range of 200-700 K and pressure range of 33-133 hPa. The data were fitted to a modified Arrhenius expression k(T) = 1.14 x 10(-12) x (T/298)2.26 exp{-313/T}. The OH and Cl reaction rates of (13)CH3F and CD3F have been measured by long-path FTIR spectroscopy relative to CH3F at 298 +/- 2 K and 1013 +/- 10 hPa in purified air. The FTIR spectra were fitted using a nonlinear least-squares spectral fitting method including line data from the HITRAN database and measured infrared spectra as references. The relative reaction rates defined by alpha = k(light)/k(heavy) were determined to be k(OH+CH3F)/k(OH+CD3F) = 4.067 +/- 0.018, k(OH+CH3F)/k(OH+(13)CH3F) = 1.067 +/- 0.006, k(Cl+CH3F)/k(Cl+CD3F) = 5.11 +/- 0.07, and k(Cl+CH3F)/k(Cl+(13)CH3F) = 1.016 +/- 0.006. The carbon-13 and deuterium kinetic isotope effects in the OH and Cl reactions of CH3F have been further investigated by quantum chemistry methods and variational transition state theory.     

Theoretical investigation of the hydrogen abstraction reaction of the OH radical with CH3CHF2 (HFC152-a): a dual level direct density functional theory dynamics study

The hydrogen abstraction reaction of the OH radical with CH(3)CHF(2) (HFC152-a) has been studied theoretically over a wide temperature range, 200-3000 K. Two different reactive sites of the molecule, CH(3) and CHF(2) groups have been investigated precisely, and results confirm that CHF(2) position of the molecule is a highly reactive site. In this study, three recently developed hybrid density functional theories, namely, MPWB1K, MPW1B95, and MPW1K, are used. The MPWB1K/6-31+G(d,p) method gives the best result for kinetic calculations, including barrier heights, reaction path information and geometry of transition state structures and other stationary points. To refine the barrier height of each channel, a single point energy calculation was performed in MPWB1K/MG3S method. The obtained rate constants by dual level direct dynamics with the interpolated single point energy method (VTST-ISPE) using DFT quantum computational methods, are consistent with available experimental data. The canonical variational transition state theory (CVT) with the zero-curvature and also the small-curvature tunneling correction methods is used to calculate the rate constants. Over the temperature range 200-3000 K, the variation effect, tunneling contribution, branching ratio of each channel are calculated. The rate constants and their temperature dependency in the form of a fitted three-parameter Arrhenius expression are k(1)(T) = 2.00 x 10(-19)(T)(2.24) exp(-1273/T), k(2)(T) = 1.95 x 10(-19)(T)(2.46) exp(-2374/T), and k(T) = 3.13 x 10(-19)(T)(2.47) exp(- 1694/T) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). For the H abstraction from the CHF(2) group, a nonclassical reflection effect is detected as a dominant quantum effect.     

The rate-determining step in the rhodium-xantphos-catalysed hydroformylation of 1-octene

The rate-determining step in the hydroformylation of 1-octene, catalysed by the rhodium-Xantphos catalyst system, was determined by using a combination of experimentally determined (1)H/(2)H and (12)C/(13)C kinetic isotope effects and a theoretical approach. From the rates of hydroformylation and deuterioformylation, a small (1)H/(2)H isotope effect of 1.2 was determined for the hydride moiety of the rhodium catalyst. (12)C/(13)C isotope effects of 1.012(1) and 1.012(3) for the alpha-carbon and beta-carbon atoms of 1-octene were determined, respectively. Both quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) and full quantum mechanics calculations were carried out on the key catalytic steps, for "real-world" ligand systems, to clarify whether alkene coordination or hydride migration is the rate-determining step. Our calculations (21.4 kcal mol(-1)) quantitatively reproduce the experimental energy barrier for CO dissociation (20.1 kcal mol(-1)) starting at the (bisphosphane)RhH(CO)(2) resting state. The barrier for hydride migration lies 3.8 kcal mol(-1) higher than the barrier for CO dissociation (experimentally determined trend approximately 3 kcal mol(-1)). The computed (1)H/(2)H and (12)C/(13)C kinetic isotope effects corroborate the results of the energy analysis.     

Thermochemistry and accurate quantum reaction rate calculations for H2/HD/D2 + CH3

Accurate quantum-mechanical results for thermodynamic data, cumulative reaction probabilities (for J = 0), thermal rate constants, and kinetic isotope effects for the three isotopic reactions H2 + CH3 --> CH4 + H, HD + CH3 --> CH4 + D, and D2 + CH3 --> CH(3)D + D are presented. The calculations are performed using flux correlation functions and the multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) method to propagate wave packets employing a Shephard interpolated potential energy surface based on high-level ab initio calculations. The calculated exothermicity for the H2 + CH3 --> CH4 + H reaction agrees to within 0.2 kcal/mol with experimentally deduced values. For the H2 + CH3 --> CH4 + H and D2 + CH3 --> CH(3)D + D reactions, experimental rate constants from several groups are available. In comparing to these, we typically find agreement to within a factor of 2 or better. The kinetic isotope effect for the rate of the H2 + CH3 --> CH4 + H reaction compared to those for the HD + CH3 --> CH4 + D and D2 + CH3 --> CH(3)D + D reactions agree with experimental results to within 25% for all data points. Transition state theory is found to predict the kinetic isotope effect accurately when the mass of the transferred atom is unchanged. On the other hand, if the mass of the transferred atom differs between the isotopic reactions, transition state theory fails in the low-temperature regime (T < 400 K), due to the neglect of the tunneling effect.     

Theoretical investigation of the hydrogen abstraction reaction of the OH radical with CH2FCH2F (HFC-152): a dual-level direct dynamics study

The hydrogen abstraction reaction of the OH radical with CH(2)FCH(2)F (HFC-152) is studied theoretically over the 150-3000 K temperature range. In this study, the two most recently developed hybrid density functional theories, namely, BB1K and MPWB1K, are applied, and their efficiency in reaction dynamics calculation is discussed. The BB1K/6-31+G(d,p) method gives the best result for the potential energy surface (PES) calculations, including barrier heights, reaction path information (the first and second derivatives of PES), geometry of transition state structures, and even weak hydrogen bond orientations. The rate constants were obtained by the dual-level direct dynamics with the interpolated single-point energy method (VTST-ISPE) using the BB1K/MG3S//BB1K/6-31+G(d,p) quantum model. The canonical variational transition state theory (CVT) with the small-curvature tunneling correction methods are used to calculate the rate constants in comparison to the experimental data. The total rate constant and its temperature dependency in the form of a fitted three-parameter Arrhenius expression is k(T) = 5.4 x 10(-13)(T/298)3.13 exp{-322/T} cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). A significant variational effect, which is not common generally for hydrogen-transfer reactions, is reported and analyzed.     

CF3CH2CH3+OH的反应机理及动力学性质的理论研究

采用密度泛函理论BB1K/6-31+G(d,p)计算了反应CF₃CH₂CH₃+OH各反应通道上驻点的稳定结构和振动频率, 并分别在BMC-CCSD, MC-QCISD和G3(MP2)水平上进行了单点能校正. 运用变分过渡态理论, 在BMC-CCSD//BB1K, MC-QCISD//BB1K, G3(MP2)//BB1K以及BB1K水平上计算了各反应通道的速率常数, 讨论了-CH₂和-CH₃基团上H提取通道对总反应的贡献, 并与已有实验和理论结果进行了对比. 计算结果表明, BMC-CCSD水平上的速率常数与实验测量值符合得很好, 进而给出了该水平上反应在200~1000 K温度范围内速率常数k(cm³?molecule^-1?s^-1)的三参数表达式: k=1.90×10^-21T^3.21exp(-292.62/T).     

Thermal decomposition of ethanol. III. A computational study of the kinetics and mechanism for the CH3+C2H5OH reaction

The mechanism for the CH3+C2H5OH reaction has been investigated by the modified Gaussian-2 method based on the geometric parameters of the stationary points optimized at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. Five transition states have been identified for the production of CH4+CH3CHOH (TS1), CH4+CH3CH2O (TS2), CH4+CH2CH2OH (TS3), CH3OH+CH3CH2 (TS4), and CH3CH2OCH3+H (TS5) with the corresponding barriers 12.0, 13.2, 16.0, 44.7, and 49.9 kcal/mol, respectively. The predicted rate constants and branching ratios for the three lower-energy H-abstraction reactions were calculated using the conventional and variational transition state theory with quantum-mechanical tunneling corrections for the temperature range 300-3000 K. The predicted total rate constant, kt=8.36 x 10(-76) T(20.00) exp(5258/T) cm3 mol(-1) s(-1) (300-600 K) and 6.10 x 10(-25) T(4.10)exp(-4058/T) cm3 mol(-1) s(-1) (600-3000 K), agrees closely with existing experimental data in the temperature range 403-523 K. Similarly, the predicted rate constants for CH3+CH3CD2OH and CD3+C2H5OD are also in reasonable agreement with available low temperature kinetic data.     

Study of the carbon-13 and deuterium kinetic isotope effects in the Cl and OH reactions of CH4 and CH3Cl

Relative rate experiments have been carried out for three isotopologues of chloromethane and their reactions with Cl atoms and OH radicals. The OH and Cl reaction rates of CH2DCl and CHD2Cl were measured by long-path FTIR spectroscopy relative to CH3Cl at 298+/-2 K and 1013+/-10 hPa in purified air. The FTIR spectra were fitted using a nonlinear least squares spectral fitting method including measured high-resolution infrared spectra as references. The relative reaction rates defined by alpha=klight/kheavy were determined to be kOH+CH3Cl/kOH+CH2DCl=1.41+/-0.05, kOH+CH3Cl/kOH+CHD2Cl=2.03+/-0.05, kCl+CH3Cl/kCl+CH2DCl=1.42+/-0.04, and kCl+CH3Cl/kCl+CHD2Cl=2.27+/-0.04. The carbon-13 and deuterium kinetic isotope effects in the OH and Cl reactions of CH3Cl were investigated further using variational transition state theory, and the results were compared to similar calculations performed for the CH4+OH/Cl reaction systems. The calculations show that the order of magnitude difference for the carbon-13 kinetic isotope effect in the OH reaction of CH3Cl compared to CH4 reported by Gola et al. (Atmos. Chem. Phys. 2005, 5, 2395) can be explained by the lower barrier to internal rotation of the OH radical in the transition state of the CH4+OH reaction than in the CH3Cl+OH reaction. The deuterium kinetic isotope effects can be explained in terms of combined variational effects and tunneling.     

Rate constants calculation of hydrogen abstraction reactions CH3CHBr + HBr and CH3CBr2 + HBr

Dual‐level direct dynamics method is used to study the kinetic properties of the hydrogen abstraction reactions of CH₃CHBr + HBr → CH₃CH₂Br + Br (R1) and CH₃CBr₂ + HBr → CH₃CHBr₂ + Br (R2). Optimized geometries and frequencies of all the stationary points and extra points along the minimum‐energy path are obtained at the MPW1K/6‐311+G(d,p), MPW1K/ma‐TZVP, and BMK/6‐311+G(d,p) levels. Two complexes with energies less than that of the reactants are located in the entrance of each reaction at the MPW1K/6‐311+G(d,p) and MPW1K/ma‐TZVP levels, respectively. The energy profiles are further refined with the interpolated single‐point energies method at the G2M(RCC5)//MPW1K/6‐311+G(d,p) level of theory. By the improved canonical variational transition‐state theory with the small‐curvature tunneling correction (SCT), the rate constants are evaluated over a wide temperature range of 200–2000 K. Our calculations have shown that the radical reactivity decreases from CH₃CHBr to CH₃CBr₂. Finally, the total rate constants are fitted by two modified Arrhenius expression. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

On the theory of the CO+OH reaction, including H and C kinetic isotope effects

The effect of pressure, temperature, HD isotopes, and C isotopes on the kinetics of the OH+CO reaction are investigated using Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus theory. Pressure effects are treated with a step-ladder plus steady-state model and tunneling effects are included. New features include a treatment of the C isotope effect and a proposed nonstatistical effect in the reaction. The latter was prompted by existing kinetic results and molecular-beam data of Simons and co-workers on incomplete intramolecular energy transfer to the highest vibrational frequency mode in HOCO(*). In treating the many kinetic properties two small customary vertical adjustments of the barriers of the two transition states were made. The resulting calculations show reasonable agreement with the experimental data on (1) the pressure and temperature dependence of the HD effect, (2) the pressure-dependent (12)C(13)C isotope effect, (3) the strong non-Arrhenius behavior observed at low temperatures, (4) the high-temperature data, and (5) the pressure dependence of rate constants in various bath gases. The kinetic carbon isotopic effect is usually less than 10 per mil. A striking consequence of the nonstatistical assumption is the removal of a major discrepancy in a plot of the k(OH+CO)k(OD+CO) ratio versus pressure. A prediction is made for the temperature dependence of the OD+CO reaction in the low-pressure limit at low temperatures.     

13C, 18O, and D fractionation effects in the reactions of CH3OH isotopologues with Cl and OH radicals

A relative rate experiment is carried out for six isotopologues of methanol and their reactions with OH and Cl radicals. The reaction rates of CH2DOH, CHD2OH, CD3OH, (13)CH3OH, and CH3(18)OH with Cl and OH radicals are measured by long-path FTIR spectroscopy relative to CH3OH at 298 +/- 2 K and 1013 +/- 10 mbar. The OH source in the reaction chamber is photolysis of ozone to produce O((1)D) in the presence of a large excess of molecular hydrogen: O((1)D) + H2 --> OH + H. Cl is produced by the photolysis of Cl2. The FTIR spectra are fitted using a nonlinear least-squares spectral fitting method with measured high-resolution infrared spectra as references. The relative reaction rates defined as alpha = k(light)/k(heavy) are determined to be: k(OH + CH3OH)/k(OH + (13)CH3OH) = 1.031 +/- 0.020, k(OH + CH3OH)/k(OH + CH3(18)OH) = 1.017 +/- 0.012, k(OH + CH3OH)/k(OH + CH2DOH) = 1.119 +/- 0.045, k(OH + CH3OH)/k(OH + CHD2OH) = 1.326 +/- 0.021 and k(OH + CH3OH)/k(OH + CD3OH) = 2.566 +/- 0.042, k(Cl + CH3OH)/k(Cl + (13)CH3OH) = 1.055 +/- 0.016, k(Cl + CH3OH)/k(Cl + CH3(18)OH) = 1.025 +/- 0.022, k(Cl + CH3OH)/k(Cl + CH2DOH) = 1.162 +/- 0.022 and k(Cl + CH3OH)/k(Cl + CHD2OH) = 1.536 +/- 0.060, and k(Cl + CH3OH)/k(Cl + CD3OH) = 3.011 +/- 0.059. The errors represent 2sigma from the statistical analyses and do not include possible systematic errors. Ground-state potential energy hypersurfaces of the reactions were investigated in quantum chemistry calculations at the CCSD(T) level of theory with an extrapolated basis set. The (2)H, (13)C, and (18)O kinetic isotope effects of the OH and Cl reactions with CH3OH were further investigated using canonical variational transition state theory with small curvature tunneling and compared to experimental measurements as well as to those observed in CH4 and several other substituted methane species.     

Experimental and theoretical multiple kinetic isotope effects for an SN2 reaction. An attempt to determine transition-state structure and the ability of theoretical methods to predict experimental kinetic isotope effects

The secondary alpha-deuterium, the secondary beta-deuterium, the chlorine leaving-group, the nucleophile secondary nitrogen, the nucleophile (12)C/(13)C carbon, and the (11)C/(14)C alpha-carbon kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and activation parameters have been measured for the S(N)2 reaction between tetrabutylammonium cyanide and ethyl chloride in DMSO at 30 degrees C. Then, thirty-nine readily available different theoretical methods, both including and excluding solvent, were used to calculate the structure of the transition state, the activation energy, and the kinetic isotope effects for the reaction. A comparison of the experimental and theoretical results by using semiempirical, ab initio, and density functional theory methods has shown that the density functional methods are most successful in calculating the experimental isotope effects. With two exceptions, including solvent in the calculation does not improve the fit with the experimental KIEs. Finally, none of the transition states and force constants obtained from the theoretical methods was able to predict all six of the KIEs found by experiment. Moreover, none of the calculated transition structures, which are all early and loose, agree with the late (product-like) transition-state structure suggested by interpreting the experimental KIEs.