Comment on decomposition mechanism and thermochemistry of dimethylnitramine

The previously proposed mechanism for the pyrolysis of dimethylnitramine was reexamined to take into consideration several recent experimentally determined rate constants for key elementary steps. The present formulation brings into better agreement the high and low temperature values for the initial fragmentation reactions. Thermochemical values for the various species involved in the decomposition of dimethylnitramine are presented for the temperature range 300–1500 K. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 70–73, 2001     

Theoretical analysis of the initial stages of the thermal decomposition of trinitromethane

The hybrid method B3LYP/6-311G* of density functional theory is used to optimize the geometries of nitroform and some intermediates of its decomposition (CH(NO₂)₂, CH(NO₂)₂ONO, CH(NO₂), and HC(O)NO) and to locate the transition states of the dissociation and isomerization reactions involving these species. The heat of formation of nitroform and of the intermediates of its decomposition and the Gibbs energies of activation of the reactions examined are calculated using the modern ab initio multilevel procedures G2M(CC5) and G2. The high-pressure limits of the rate constants of these reactions in the temperature range 300–2000 K are calculated using transition state theory or its variational analogue.     

Theoretical study on initial decomposition paths of energetic materials featuring RDX ring

The molecular properties of RDX are affected by the introduction of different functional groups, and the decomposition process of these analogues is studied in this paper. DFT method is used to study the initial decomposition reaction paths of 30 high energy materials based RDX skeleton. In the nitro cleavage reaction, the energy barrier become relatively low by introducing CH(NO₂)₂ or  C(NO₂)₃ groups on the C site of the six membered ring. In the ring opening reaction, the ring opening process is easier to proceed by introducing  NH₂ or  NHNH₂ groups on the C site of the six membered ring.     

Radical steps in diethyl ether decomposition

The thermal decomposition of diethyl ether was studied in the temperature range 697.2–760.5 K. The rate constant of reaction (1), and the ratio of the rate constant of reaction (2) to that of (12): were calculated from the amounts of products:      

Theoretical investigation of the decomposition of monofluoromethanol

Ab initio calculations have been used to study the decomposition pathways of monofluo-roinethanol. Equilibrium geometries and transition state structures were optimized at the HF/6-31G(d) and MP2/6-31G(d) levels. Single point energies were obtained at different levels of theory. The most favorable reaction to dissociation is the 1,2-HF elimination which is consistent with the experimental results.     

Theoretical studies of the NTO unimolecular decomposition

This work studies 39 decomposition paths among 18 intermediates and 14 transition states. Three types of intra-molecular proton migration and the direct scission of C–NO₂ were regarded as the initial steps of the unimolecular decomposition of NTO. The activation energies of the radicalization C–NO₂ homolysis step are 79.158, 79.781 and 80.652 kcal mol⁻¹. The activation energies of the ionization C–NO⁻¹₂ scission step are 262.488, 263.138 and 272.278 kcal mol⁻¹. The bottle neck activation energies of the C–NO₂H cleavage are 54.936, 63.257 and 71.247 kcal mol⁻¹. Two paths have the smallest bottle neck activation energy. Both of them have two proton migration steps and one internal rotation step prior to C–NO₂H cleavage. At lower temperatures, energy accumulated slowly. When the energy is high enough and reaction time is long enough for structure transformation, these two mechanisms should be the most probable decomposition paths. At high temperatures, the shortest (four steps) mechanism which goes through radicalization C–NO₂ scission should be the dominant path. There are five tautomers found in this study. Four of them are intra-molecular proton migration tautomers. The other one is an internal rotational tautomer. Their energy barriers for structure transfer are lower than any of the activation energies of the decomposition reactions. It may be regarded as one explanation of the insensitive property of NTO.     

Investigating the initial steps in the biosynthesis of cyanobacterial sunscreen scytonemin

The cyanobacterial natural product scytonemin (1) functions as a sunscreen, absorbing harmful UV-A radiation. Using information from a recently identified gene cluster, we propose a biosynthetic route to this pigment. We also report the characterization of two enzymes, NpR1275 and NpR1276, which are involved in the initial stages of this pathway. A regioselective acyloin reaction between indole-3-pyruvic acid (4) and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid (5) is a key step in assembling the carbon framework of a proposed monomeric scytonemin precursor (2).     

The two steps thermal decomposition of titanium hydride and two steps foaming of Al alloy

1 Introduction Al alloy foam with closed pores prepared by melt foaming, realizing the lightness, high specific strength and multifunction of structure material, is becoming one of the hotspots[1―11]. In order to meet the demand of high-tech, preparing s…     

Observation and simulation of PbS nonocrystal formation at the initial steps

Ultrafine lead sulfide clusters are produced by the reaction of long-chain thiols with lead ions in non-aqueous medium, and according to X-ray diffraction (XRD) data reveal the different steps of he bulk-like rocksalt lattice growth. XRD pattern is simulated by the Debye formula for four model clusters (27, 75, 125, 729 atoms) and the correspondence of model and experimental clusters is shown that allows to estimate their size. Ab initio MOLCAO calculations result in energetical parameters and charge distribution for the clusters with 27 atoms. The value of energy gap indicates the true tendency of variation for the clusters of different size but left yet higher than maxima in the optical absorption at the fixed steps.     

Theoretical investigations on the thiol–thioester exchange steps of different thioesters

As the rate-determining step in native chemical ligation reactions, the thiol–thioester exchange step is important in determining the efficiency of the ligations of peptides. In the present study, systematic theoretical calculations were carried out on the relationships between the structure of different thioesters and the free energy barriers of the thiol–thioester exchange step. According to the calculation results, the thiol–thioester exchange step is disfavored by the steric hindrance around the carbonyl center, while the electronic effect(i.e. conjugation and hyper-conjugation effects) becomes important when the steric hindrance is insignificant.     

Theoretical investigation of the formic acid decomposition kinetics

Decomposition of formic acid (HCO₂H) proceeds via three unimolecular channels: dehydration, decarboxylation, and dissociation, the latter expected to be of minor contribution to the overall kinetics. In addition, despite the similar values reported for the individual activation energies for the dehydration and decarboxylation reactions, experimental works have shown that the former is dominant in the reaction mechanism. These reactions show pressure-dependent rate coefficients, and the high-pressure condition is not yet verified at atmospheric pressure. This work aims to investigate the influence of temperature and pressure on the rate coefficients. Hence, theoretical calculations at the CCSD(T)/CBS level have been performed to accurately describe the unimolecular reaction and Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) rate coefficients have been calculated and integrated for the prediction of k(T,P) rate coefficients, adopting both strong and weak collision models, over the intervals 0.5-10 atm and 298-2200 K. Our results suggest that the isomerization path is important and explains the preference for the (CO + H₂O) channel. Rate coefficients for the (CO₂ + H₂) and (CO + H₂O) formations are given, in s⁻¹, as exp(−34404/T) and exp(−33785/T), respectively. The dissociation limit of 107.29 kcal mol^–1, with respect the Z-HCO₂H conformer, leading to OH + HCO, via a barrierless potential curve, with rate coefficients, in s⁻¹, expressed as k_HCO+OH(T) = 1.68 × 10¹⁷ exp(−56018/T). Temperature and pressure dependence for the HCO + OH → CO₂ + H₂ and HCO + OH → CO + H₂O reactions have also been estimated.     

Theoretical study on the unimolecular decomposition of thiophenol

The potential energy surface for the unimolecular decomposition of thiophenol (C(6)H(5)SH) is mapped out at two theoretical levels; BB1K/GTlarge and QCISD(T)/6-311+G(2d,p)//MP2/6-31G(d,p). Calculated reaction rate constants at the high pressure limit indicate that the major initial channel is the formation of C(6)H(6)S at all temperatures. Above 1000 K, the contribution from direct fission of the S-H bond becomes important. Other decomposition channels, including expulsion of H(2) and H(2)S are of negligible importance. The formation of C(6)H(6)S is predicted to be strong-pressure dependent above 900 K. Further decomposition of C(6)H(6)S produces CS and C(5)H(6). Overall, despite the significant difference in bond dissociation, i.e., 8-9 kcal/mol between the S-H bond in thiophenol and the O-H bond in phenol, H migration at the ortho position in the two molecules represents the most accessible initial channel.     

Theoretical study of formamide decomposition pathways

The chemical transformations of formamide (NH(2)CHO), a molecule of prebiotic interest as a precursor for biomolecules, are investigated using methods of electronic structure computations and Rice-Rampserger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) theory. Specifically, quantum chemical calculations applying the coupled-cluster theory CCSD(T), whose energies are extrapolated to the complete basis set limit (CBS), are carried out to construct the [CH(3)NO] potential energy surface. RRKM theory is then used to systematically examine decomposition channels leading to the formation of small molecules including CO, NH(3), H(2)O, HCN, HNC, H(2), HNCO, and HOCN. The energy barriers for the decarboxylation, dehydrogenation, and dehydration processes are found to be in the range of 73-78 kcal/mol. H(2) loss is predicted to be a one-step process although a two-step process is competitive. CO elimination is found to prefer a two-step pathway involving the carbene isomer NH(2)CHO (aminohydroxymethylene) as an intermediate. This CO-elimination channel is also favored over the one-step H(2) loss, in agreement with experiment. The H(2)O loss is a multistep process passing through a formimic acid conformer, which subsequently undergoes a rate-limiting dehydration. The dehydration appears to be particularly favored in the low-temperature regime. The new feature identifies aminohydroxymethylene as a transient but crucial intermediate in the decarboxylation of formamide.     

Lifetime prediction for polymers via the temperature of initial decomposition

The temperature of initial decompositionT _id was determined from TG and DTG curves of mass loss during thermooxidative polymer decomposition in an environmental air atmosphere. The values ofT _id were applied for comparison of the thermal stabilities of several polymers, e.g. PC-A, PBT, PET, PPO and PVC. Both the activation energies of initial decompositionE _id and the preexponential termsA _id of the Arrhenius equation were calculated by using the Kissinger approach. The initial mass loss is proposed as a criterion for calculation of the time to failuret _f from the known values ofE _id andA _id, and hence for a prediction of the lifetime of polymer materials.The following thermal stability sequence was found for the investigated polymer materials: PC-A (st)>PC-A (nst)>PBT>PET>PPO>PVC (e)>PVC (c). The activation energy of initial decomposition had a mean value ofE _id=83 kJ mol^–1 for PC-A, PBT, PET and PPO, andE _id=73 kJ mol^–1 for the PVC samples.The calculated time to failure,t _f, for PC-A, PET and PVC under specified conditions was in reasonable agreement with published experimental data.The proposed parameters of thermal decompositionT _id,E _id andt _f, can be applied for the characterization and comparison of various polymer materials, and for a prediction of their lifetime.Financial support from the Polish Scientific Research Committee, the grant No. 7 761791 02, is gratefully acknowledged.     

Analysis of the steps of thermal decomposition of oxo-compounds of the dsp block elements

Analysis of thermal decomposition of manganates(VII) and chromates(VI) in terms of the Górski's morphological classification was used to distinguish typical steps of decomposition of oxides and oxo-salts of dsp block elements and to determine the effect of cationic counterions on decomposition of chromates(VI).

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Zusammenfassung Eine Analyse der thermischen Zersetzung von Manganaten(VII) und Chromaten(VI) der morphologischen Klassifizierung von Gorski wurde benutzt, um typische Schritte der Zersetzung von Oxiden und Oxosalzen der Elemente des dsp-Feldes zu unterscheiden und den Effekt der kationischen Gegenionen auf die Zersetzung von Chromaten(VI) zu bestimmen.

     

Theoretical study of the decomposition reactions in substituted nitrobenzenes

The influence of substituent nature and position on the unimolecular decomposition of nitroaromatic compounds was investigated using the density functional theory at a PBE0/6-31+G(d,p) level. As the starting point, the two main reaction paths for the decomposition of nitrobenzene were analyzed: the direct carbon nitrogen dissociation (C6H5 + NO2) and a two step mechanism leading to the formation of phenoxyl and nitro radicals (C6H5O + NO). The dissociation energy of the former reaction was calculated to be 7.5 kcal/mol lower than the activation energy of the second reaction. Then the Gibbs free energies were computed for 15 nitrobenzene derivatives characterized by different substituents (nitro, methyl, amino, carboxylic acid, and hydroxyl) in the ortho, meta, and para positions. In meta position, no significant changes appeared in the reaction energy profiles whereas ortho and para substitutions led to significant deviations in energies on the decomposition mechanisms due to the resonance effect of the nitro group without changing the competition between these mechanisms. In the case of para and meta substitutions, the carbon-nitro bond dissociation energy has been directly related to the Hammett constant as an indicator of the electron donor-acceptor effect of substituents.     

Theoretical studies on the unimolecular decomposition of ethylene glycol

The unimolecular decomposition processes of ethylene glycol have been investigated with the QCISD(T) method with geometries optimized at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level. Among the decomposition channels identified, the H(2)O-elimination channels have the lowest barriers, and the C-C bond dissociation is the lowest-energy dissociation channel among the barrierless reactions (the direct bond cleavage reactions). The temperature and pressure dependent rate constant calculations show that the H(2)O-elimination reactions are predominant at low temperature, whereas at high temperature, the direct C-C bond dissociation reaction is dominant. At 1 atm, in the temperature range 500-2000 K, the calculated rate constant is expressed to be 7.63 × 10(47)T(-10.38) exp(-42262/T) for the channel CH(2)OHCH(2)OH → CH(2)CHOH + H(2)O, and 2.48 × 10(51)T(-11.58) exp(-43593/T) for the channel CH(2)OHCH(2)OH → CH(3)CHO + H(2)O, whereas for the direct bond dissociation reaction CH(2)OHCH(2)OH → CH(2)OH + CH(2)OH the rate constant expression is 1.04 × 10(71)T(-16.16) exp(-52414/T).     

Theoretical study of thermal decomposition of azomethane

Summary.  Thermal one- and two-bond dissociation processes of cis- and trans-azomethane were studied by ab initio computation with DZP and TZ2P basis sets, using the d(N–C) bond lengths as the reaction coordinates. The geometries were optimized at the MP2 level, and the dissociation energies obtained exploiting a single-point, fourth-order M?ller–Plesset calculations [MP4SDTQ/TZ2P]. At this level of theory including zero-point energies, the trans-isomer is by 9.3 kcal/mol more stable than the cis-isomer. The results show that the energetically more favourable one-bond cleavage proceeds without transition state with the predicted bond dissociation energy D ₀ of 47.8 kcal/mol for trans-azomethane and 38.5 kcal/mol for cis-azomethane. With calculated barrier heights the unimolecular dissociation rate constants have been determined by means of the RRKM theory. The second-order saddle points localized for synchronous decomposition pathways lie 13 (trans)-23(cis) kcal/mol above the one-bond dissociation energies [MP2/DZP]. Received May 28, 1996/Final version received November 1, 1996 / Accepted November 1, 1996