STUDIES OF ADHESION OF METAL PARTICLES TO SILICA PARTICLES BASED ON ZETA POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS

The zeta-potentials of silica, copper, platinum and gold particles have been measured as a function of pH. The isoelectric points were found to be at pH 3.0, 5.8, 3.0 and 3.5, respectively. In the pH range 3.0 to 5.8 copper and silica particles are oppositely charged and accordingly the coating of silica with copper particles could be demonstrated. In the case of gold and platinum the sign of the charge is such that direct adhesion to silica particles cannot be expected and this was also demonstrated in the case of platinum.     

Termolecular chemistry facilitated by radical-radical recombinations and its impact on flame speed predictions

Recent theoretical studies have shown that termolecular chemistry can be facilitated through reactions of flame radicals (H, O, and OH) or O₂ with highly-energized collision complexes (either radical or stable species) formed in exothermic reactions. In this work, radical-radical recombination reaction induced termolecular chemistry and its impact on combustion modeling was studied. Two recombination reactions, H + CH₃ + M → CH₄ + M and H + OH + M → H₂O + M, were analyzed using ab-initio master equation analyses guided by quasiclassical trajectory results. The dynamics results and the master equation calculations indicate that CH₄^? and H₂O^? (formed in the two radical-radical reactions outlined above) react rapidly with flame radicals and O₂ at rates that are competitive with collisional cooling. The addition of these processes into conventional combustion modeling requires two modifications: the inclusion of the new nonthermal termolecular reaction rates and the simultaneous reduction of the competing recombination reaction rates. The former is described with newly derived Arrhenius expressions based on quasiclassical trajectories, and the latter is achieved by perturbing the recombination reaction rate during the simulation. Kinetic modeling was used to gauge the impact of including this nonthermal chemistry for H₂/CH₄-air laminar flames speeds. Inclusion of this nonthermal chemistry has a noticeable impact on simulated flame speeds. The procedure developed here can be utilized to properly quantify the effects of such nonthermal reactions in macroscopic kinetic models.     

Kinetics of the reaction of methyl radical with hydroxyl radical and methanol decomposition

The CH3 + OH bimolecular reaction and the dissociation of methanol are studied theoretically at conditions relevant to combustion chemistry. Kinetics for the CH3 + OH barrierless association reaction and for the H + CH2OH and H + CH3O product channels are determined in the high-pressure limit using variable reaction coordinate transition state theory and multireference electronic structure calculations to evaluate the fragment interaction energies. The CH3 + OH --> 3CH2 + H2O abstraction reaction and the H2 + HCOH and H2 + H2CO product channels feature localized dynamical bottlenecks and are treated using variational transition state theory and QCISD(T) energies extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. The 1CH2 + H2O product channel has two dynamical regimes, featuring both an inner saddle point and an outer barrierless region, and it is shown that a microcanonical two-state model is necessary to properly describe the association rate for this reaction over a broad temperature range. Experimental channel energies for the methanol system are reevaluated using the Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT) approach. Pressure dependent, phenomenological rate coefficients for the CH3 + OH bimolecular reaction and for methanol decomposition are determined via master equation simulations. The predicted results agree well with experimental results, including those from a companion high-temperature shock tube determination for the decomposition of methanol.     

Predictive theory for the combination kinetics of two alkyl radicals

An ab initio transition state theory based procedure for accurately predicting the combination kinetics of two alkyl radicals is described. This procedure employs direct evaluations of the orientation dependent interaction energies at the CASPT2/cc-pvdz level within variable reaction coordinate transition state theory (VRC-TST). One-dimensional corrections to these energies are obtained from CAS+1+2/aug-cc-pvtz calculations for CH3 + CH3 along its combination reaction path. Direct CAS+1+2/aug-cc-pvtz calculations demonstrate that, at least for the purpose of predicting the kinetics, the corrected CASPT2/cc-pvdz potential energy surface is an accurate approximation to the CAS+1+2/aug-cc-pvtz surface. Furthermore, direct trajectory simulations, performed at the B3LYP/6-31G* level, indicate that there is little local recrossing of the optimal VRC transition state dividing surface. The corrected CASPT2/cc-pvdz potential is employed in obtaining direct VRC-TST kinetic predictions for the self and cross combinations of methyl, ethyl, iso-propyl, and tert-butyl radicals. Comparisons with experiment suggest that the present dynamically corrected VRC-TST approach provides quantitatively accurate predictions for the capture rate. Each additional methyl substituent adjacent to a radical site is found to reduce the rate coefficient by about a factor of two. In each instance, the rate coefficients are predicted to decrease quite substantially with increasing temperature, with the more sterically hindered reactants having a more rapid decrease. The simple geometric mean rule, relating the capture rate for the cross reaction to those for the self-reactions, is in remarkably good agreement with the more detailed predictions. With suitable generalizations the present approach should be applicable to a wide array of radical-radical combination reactions.     

Development of an effective chiral auxiliary for hydroxyalkyl radicals

The development of an effective chiral auxiliary for hydroxyalkyl radicals is delineated. Both the 2-tetrahydropyranyl (THP) and tri-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl (GLU) auxiliaries resulted in diastereoselective radical additions to methyl acrylate at -78 degrees C (ds = 6/1 and 11/1, respectively). The developing stereochemistry at the radical center was completely under auxiliary control. Correlation experiments showed that the D-GLU auxiliary led to attack on the radical Si-face. The selectivity of these radical additions dropped-off considerably when the more reactive 2-nitropropene trap was employed. Computational studies suggested that the observed facial selectivity was due primarily to entropic factors in the transition state but that a smaller temperature-dependent enthalpic contribution was also involved. It was hypothesized that incorporation of a quaternary center at C-6 (THP numbering) would restore the facial selectivity with more reactive radical traps by restricting the orientations available to the incoming alkene. In the event, the trans-6-tert-butyltetrahydropyranyl (tBu-THP) auxiliary resulted in very good diastereoselection with 2-nitropropene (ds = 35/1 at -78 degrees C, 15/1 at 0 degrees C, and 8/1 at RT) as did the tri-O-benzyl-6,6-dimethyl-2-alpha-D-deoxyglucopyranosyl (diMe-GLU) auxiliary during additions to ethyl alpha-trifluoroacetoxyacrylate (ds = 10/1 at 0 degrees C). A protocol for recovery of the sugar-derived chiral auxiliaries was also established. This work sets the stage for the development of a novel approach to 1, 3, 5.(2n + 1) polyols based on iterative radical homologation as well as the application of these pyranosidic auxiliaries to other synthetically important reactions.     

A combined ab initio and photoionization mass spectrometric study of polyynes in fuel-rich flames

Polyynic structures in fuel-rich low-pressure flames are observed using VUV photoionization molecular-beam mass spectrometry. High-level ab initio calculations of ionization energies for C2nH2 (n=1-5) and partially hydrogenated CnH4 (n=7-8) polyynes are compared with photoionization efficiency measurements in flames fuelled by allene, propyne, and cyclopentene. C2nH2 (n=1-5) intermediates are unambiguously identified, while HC[triple bond, length as m-dash]C-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]C-CH=C=CH2, HC[triple bond, length as m-dash]C-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]C-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]C-CH=CH2 (vinyltriacetylene) and HC[triple bond, length as m-dash]C-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]C-CH[double bond, length as m-dash]CH-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CH are likely to contribute to the C7H4 and C8H4 signals. Mole fraction profiles as a function of distance from the burner are presented. C7H4 and C8H4 isomers are likely to be formed by reactions of C2H and C4H radicals but other plausible formation pathways are also discussed. Heats of formation and ionization energies of several combustion intermediates have been determined for the first time.