Comparing electronic structure predictions for the ground state dissociation of vinoxy radicals

This paper reports a series of electronic structure calculations performed on the dissociation pathways of the vinoxy radical (CH(2)CHO). We use coupled-cluster with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations (CCSD(T)), complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF), multireference configuration interaction (MRCI), and MRCI with the Davidson correction (MRCI+Q) to calculate the barrier heights of the two unimolecular dissociation pathways of this radical. The effect of state averaging on the barrier heights is investigated at the CASSCF, MRCI, and MRCI+Q levels. The change in mixing angle along the reaction path is calculated as a measure of derivative coupling and found to be insufficient to suggest nonadiabatic recrossing. We also present a new analysis of previous experimental data on the unimolecular dissociation of ground state vinoxy. In particular, an error in the internal energy distribution of vinoxy radicals reported in a previous paper is corrected and a new analysis of the experimental sensitivity to the onset energy (barrier height) for the isomerization reaction is given. Combining these studies, a final "worst case" analysis of the product branching ratio is given and a statistical model using each of the calculated transition states is found to be unable to correctly reproduce the experimental data.     

Mechanism and rate constants for the decomposition of 1-pentenyl radicals

This paper is concerned with the mechanisms and rate constants for the decomposition of 1-penten-3-yl, 1-penten-4-yl, and 1-penten-5-yl radicals. They are formed from radical attack on 1-pentene, which is an important decomposition product of normal alkyl radicals with more than 6 carbon atoms in combustion systems. This work is based on related data in the literature. These involve rate constants for the reverse radical addition process under high-pressure conditions, chemical activation experiments, and more recent direct studies. The high-pressure rate constants are based on detailed balance. The energy transfer effects and the pressure dependences of the rate constants are determined through the solution of the master equation and are projected to cover combustion conditions. The low barriers to these reactions make it necessary to treat these thermal reactions as open systems, as in chemical activation studies. The multiple reaction channels make the nature of the pressure effects different from those usually described in standard texts. The order of stability is 1-penten-3-yl approximately 1-penten-4-yl > 1-penten-5-yl and straddles those for the n-alkyl radicals. A key feature in these reactions is the effects traceable to allylic resonance. However, the 50 kJ/mol allylic resonance energy is not fully manifested. The important unsaturated products are 1,3-butadiene, the pentadienes, allyl radicals, and vinyl radicals. The results are compared with the recommendations in the literature, and significant differences are noted. Extensions to larger radicals with similar structures are discussed.     

Addition of methyl radicals to carbon monoxide: Chemically and thermally activated decomposition of acetyl radicals

Chemically activated acetyl radicals, with an excitation energy of 78 kJ/mole, were formed by the addition of methyl radicals to carbon monoxide. At 273·K the pressure required to stabilize one half of the excited radicals was 500 torr. From measurements of the acetyl radical yield at pressures in the range of 700–2100 torr, and at temperatures in the range of 260–413 K, extrapolations to infinite pressure yielded kinetic parameters for the addition of methyl radicals to carbon monoxide, and for the thermal decomposition of acetyl radicals. The rate constants were found to be log k[cm³ / (mole·s)] = 11.2–25(kJ/mole/2.3) RT, and log k(s^?1) = 13.5?72 (kJ/mole)/2.3RT, respectively. Estimated thermochemical properties of the acetyl radical are ΔH_fº = ?17 kJ/mole and Sº = 262 J/K°mole.     

Quantum chemical and master equation simulations of the oxidation and isomerization of vinoxy radicals

The vinoxy radical, a common intermediate in gas-phase alkene ozonolysis, reacts with O2 to form a chemically activated alpha-oxoperoxy species. We report CBS-QB3 energetics for O2 addition to the parent (*CH2CHO, 1a), 1-methylvinoxy (*CH2COCH3, 1b), and 2-methylvinoxy (CH3*CHCHO, 1c) radicals. CBS-QB3 predictions for peroxy radical formation agree with experimental data, while the G2 method systematically overestimates peroxy radical stability. RRKM/master equation simulations based on CBS-QB3 data are used to estimate the competition between prompt isomerization and thermalization for the peroxy radicals derived from 1a, 1b, and 1c. The lowest energy isomerization pathway for radicals 4a and 4c (derived from 1a and 1c, respectively) is a 1,4-shift of the acyl hydrogen requiring 19-20 kcal/mol. The resulting hydroperoxyacyl radical decomposes quantitatively to form *OH. The lowest energy isomerization pathway for radical 4b (derived from 1b) is a 1,5-shift of a methyl hydrogen requiring 26 kcal/mol. About 25% of 4a, but only approximately 5% of 4c, isomerizes promptly at 1 atm pressure. Isomerization of 4b is negligible at all pressures studied.     

High-accuracy extrapolated ab initio thermochemistry of the vinyl, allyl, and vinoxy radicals

Enthalpies of formation at both 0 and 298 K were calculated according to the HEAT (High-accuracy Extrapolated Ab initio Thermochemistry) protocol for the title molecules, all of which play important roles in combustion chemistry. At the HEAT345-(Q) level of theory, recommended enthalpies of formation at 0 K are 301.5 ± 1.3, 180.3 ± 1.8, and 23.4 ± 1.5 kJ mol(-1) for vinyl, allyl, and vinoxy, respectively. At 298 K, the corresponding values are 297.3, 168.6, and 16.1 kJ mol(-1), with the same uncertainties. The calculated values for the three radicals are in excellent agreement with the corresponding experimental values, but the uncertainties associated with the HEAT values for vinoxy are considerably smaller than those based on experimental studies.     

Enthalpies of formation of acetyl radicals

The database on the enthalpies of formation (Δ_f H ^○) of aliphatic acetyl radicals of the RC·(O) type is analyzed and extended. Δ_f H ^○ values are estimated for the first time for three compounds on the basis of experimental data. The data were analyzed using the additive group approach with the determination and correction of parameters. Good correspondence between the Δ_f H ^○(RC·(O)) values calculated according to parameters with experimental data is observed.     

Spectra and reactions of acetyl and acetylperoxy radicals

The ultraviolet absorption spectra of the acetyl and acetylperoxy radicals have been characterized in the range 195–280 nm. The acetyl radical was generated by the flash photolysis of Cl₂ in the presence of CH₃CHO and was converted to the acetylperoxy radical in the presence of excess O₂. The extinction coefficient of the acetylperoxy radical was measured to be 2300 L/mol cm at the maximum at 207 nm and the rate constant for the reaction was evaluated to be k₅ = (4.8 ± 0.8) × 10⁹ L/mol s.     

Measurement of the decomposition rate constant of azodiisobutyronitrile to radicals in dibutyl ether

Conclusions The rate constant for the decomposition of azodiisobutyronitrile into radicals was measured in dibutyl ether at 60°C. This value proved to be less than the literature value for aromatic hydrocarbons by a factor of 1.5.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1904–1906, August, 1988.     

Radiation decomposition of metal acetyl acetonates

Studies on the thermal decomposition of the acetyl acetonate complexes of transitional metal ions Cu/II/, Cr/III/, Mn/II/, Co/II/, Fe/III/, Vo/II/, Zn/II/, and Cd/II/ have been performed by thermogravimetric method. Taking the initial decomposition temperature as a measure of thermal stability, the relative order of the thermal stability of these complexes shows the following order: Zn/II/<Cd/II/< VO/II/<Fe/III/<Cr/III/<Cu/II/Co/II/< Mn/II/. The nature of decomposition of Cu/II/ and Cr/III/ complexes is similar, a sigmoid curve exists. In other cases a long linear decomposition follows the sigmoid pattern. The linear decomposition is a function of final decomposition temperature and percentage of decomposition. The kinetics of the decomposition is analyzed according to the Coats-Redfern equation. The results are discussed on the basis of structural and other aspects leading to the decomposition.     

Pressure dependence of the rate coefficients and product yields for the reaction of CH3CO radicals with O2

Relative rate coefficients for the reaction of acetyl (CH₃CO) radicals with O₂ (k₄) and Cl₂ (k₇) have been obtained at 298 K and 228 K as a function of total pressure, using FTIR/environmental chamber techniques. Measured values of k₄/k₇ were placed on an absolute basis using k₇=2.8×10⁻¹¹ exp(−47/T) cm³ molec⁻¹ s⁻¹. At 298 K, the value of k₄ is constant ((7±2)×10⁻¹³ cm³ molec⁻¹ s⁻¹) at pressures from 0.1 to 2 torr, then increases to a high pressure limiting value of (3.2±0.6)×10⁻¹² cm³ molec⁻¹ s⁻¹, which is approached at pressures above 300 torr. At 228 K, the low-pressure value of k₄ increases by about 20–30%, while the high pressure value remains unchanged. Experiments designed to elucidate the products of reaction (4) as a function of pressure at 298 K indicate that the reaction occurs via a concerted mechanism in which CH₃CO radicals combine with O₂ to give an excited acetylperoxy radical (CH₃COO₂*) which is increasingly stabilized at high pressure at the expense of a low pressure decomposition channel. The yield of acetylperoxy radicals from reaction (4) decreases from >95% at pressures above 100 torr, to about 90% at 60 torr, and 50% at 6 torr. Indirect evidence for formation of OH radicals from the low pressure decomposition is presented, although the carbon-containing coproduct(s) of this channel could not be identified. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 29: 655–663, 1997.     

Temperature effect on the rate of formation of free radicals in CTAB-catalyzed decomposition of hydroperoxides

The temperature effect on the rate of the decomposition of hydroperoxides and the rate of the formation of free radicals in the oxidation of ethylbenzene with molecular oxygen in the presence of -phenylethyl hydroperoxide—cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a catalytic system for free radical generation was studied by kinetic methods (from the oxygen consumption and hydroperoxide decomposition rates) and the inhibition method involving different acceptors of free radicals.     

Gas‐phase rate coefficients for a series of alkyl cyclohexanes with OH radicals and Cl atoms

The rate coefficients of the reactions of OH radicals and Cl atoms with three alkylcyclohexanes compounds, methylcyclohexane (MCH), trans‐1,4‐dimethylcyclohexane (DCH), and ethylcyclohexane (ECH) have been investigated at (293 ± 1) K and 1000 mbar of air using relative rate methods. A majority of the experiments were performed in the Highly Instrumented Reactor for Atmospheric Chemistry (HIRAC), a stainless steel chamber using in situ FTIR analysis and online gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC‐FID) detection to monitor the decay of the alkylcyclohexanes and the reference compounds. The studies were undertaken to provide kinetic data for calibrations of radical detection techniques in HIRAC. The following rate coefficients (in cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹) were obtained for Cl reactions: k_(Cl+MCH) = (3.51 ± 0.37) × 10^–10, k_(Cl+DCH) = (3.63 ± 0.38) × 10⁻¹⁰, k_(Cl+ECH) = (3.88 ± 0.41) × 10⁻¹⁰, and for the reactions with OH radicals: k_(OH+MCH) = (9.5 ± 1.3) × 10^–12, k_(OH+DCH) = (12.1 ± 2.2) × 10⁻¹², k_(OH+ECH) = (11.8 ± 2.0) × 10⁻¹². Errors are a combination of statistical errors in the relative rate ratio (2σ) and the error in the reference rate coefficient. Checks for possible systematic errors were made by the use of two reference compounds, two different measurement techniques, and also three different sources of OH were employed in this study: photolysis of CH₃ONO with black lamps, photolysis of H₂O₂ at 254 nm, and nonphotolytic trans‐2‐butene ozonolysis. For DCH, some direct laser flash photolysis studies were also undertaken, producing results in good agreement with the relative rate measurements. Additionally, temperature‐dependent rate coefficient investigations were performed for the reaction of methylcyclohexane with the OH radical over the range 273‐343 K using the relative rate method; the resulting recommended Arrhenius expression is k_{(OH + MCH)} = (1.85 ± 0.27) × 10^–11 exp((–1.62 ± 0.16) kJ mol⁻¹/RT) cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. The kinetic data are discussed in terms of OH and Cl reactivity trends, and comparisons are made with the existing literature values and with rate coefficients from structure‐activity relationship methods. This is the first study on the rate coefficient determination of the reaction of ECH with OH radicals and chlorine atoms, respectively.     

Assessing an impulsive model for rotational energy partitioning to acetyl radicals from the photodissociation of acetyl chloride at 235 nm

This work uses the photodissociation of acetyl chloride to assess the utility of a recently proposed impulsive model when the dissociation occurs on an excited electronic state that is not repulsive in the Franck-Condon region. The impulsive model explicitly includes an average over the vibrational quantum states of acetyl chloride when it calculates an impact parameter for fission of the C-Cl bond, as well as the distribution of thermal energy in the photolytic precursor. The experimentally determined stability of the resulting acetyl radical to subsequent dissociation is the key observable that allows us to test the model's ability to predict the partitioning of energy between rotation and vibration of the radical. We compare the model's predictions for three different assumed geometries at which the impulsive force might act, generating the relative kinetic energy and the concomitant rotational energy in the acetyl radical. Assuming that the impulsive force acts at the transition state for C-Cl fission on the S(1) excited state gives a poor prediction; the model predicts far more energy in rotation of the acetyl radical than is consistent with the measured velocity map imaging spectrum of the stable radicals. The best prediction results from using a geometry derived from the classical trajectory calculations on the excited state potential energy surface. We discuss the insight gained into the excited state dissociation dynamics of acetyl chloride and, more generally, the utility of using the impulsive model in conjunction with excited state trajectory calculations to predict the partitioning of internal energy between rotation and vibration for radicals produced from the photolysis of halogenated precursors.     

Rate coefficients for the reactions of OH radicals with Methylglyoxal and Acetaldehyde

Rate coefficients have been measured for the reaction of OH radicals with methylglyoxal from 260 to 333 K using the discharge flow technique and laser-induced fluorescence detection of OH. The rate coefficient was found to be (1.32±0.30) × 10^?11 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 at room temperature, with a distinct negative temperature dependence (E/R of ?830 ± 300 K). These are the first measurements of the temperature dependence of this reaction. The reaction of OH with acetaldehyde was also investigated, and a rate coefficient of (1.45 ± 0.25) × 10^?11 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 was found at room temperature, in accord with recent studies. Experiments in which O₂ was added to the flow showed regeneration of OH following the reaction of CH₃CO radicals with O₂. However, chamber experiments at atmospheric pressure using FTIR detection showed no evidence for OH production. FTIR experiments have also been used to investigate the chemistry of the CH₃COCO radical formed by hydrogen abstraction from methylglyoxal. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Determination of the extinction coefficients of alkyl and alkylsulfonyl radicals

Conclusions Methods of determination were proposed and the quenching coefficients of a series of alkyl and cyclohexylsulfonyl radicals were measured by the method of pulsed photolysis.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1258–1263, June, 1986.     

High-temperature thermal decomposition of benzyl radicals

The thermal decomposition of the benzyl radical was studied in shock tube experiments using ultraviolet laser absorption at 266 nm for detection of benzyl. Test gas mixtures of 50 and 100 ppm of benzyl iodide dilute in argon were heated in reflected shock waves to temperatures ranging from 1430 to 1730 K at total pressures around 1.5 bar. The temporal behavior of the 266 nm absorption allowed for determination of the benzyl absorption cross-section at 266 nm and the rate coefficient for benzyl decomposition, C6H5CH2 --> C7H6 + H. The rate coefficient for benzyl decomposition at 1.5 bar can be described using a two-parameter Arrhenius expression by k1(T) = 8.20 x 10(14) exp(-40 600 K/T) [s(-1)], and the benzyl absorption cross-section at 266 nm was determined to be sigma(benzyl) = 1.9 x 10(-17) cm2 molecule(-1) with no discernible temperature dependence over the temperature range of the experiments.     

Formation of radicals during dimethyldioxirane decomposition

Thermal decomposition of dimethyldioxirane is followed by the formation of radicals registered by ESR spectroscopy using aC-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitronc spin trap. The intensity of the ESR signal increases linearly with increasing temperature; the dependence is extreme in character.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1552–1554, June, 1996.     

The gas-phase decomposition of alkoxy radicals

It is shown that it is possible to obtain good data for the rate constant for the decomposition of alkoxy radicals [RO] by using nitric oxide as a radical trap. Two experimental systems have been used. The first system involves the use of dialkyl peroxides [(RO)₂] as thermal sources of alkoxy radicals. The peroxide concentration was ～10^?4M, nitric oxide ～2 × 10^?4M, and the extent of reaction was ～10%. The total pressure was altered using carbon tetrafluoride as an inert gas. The mechanism is Hence R₂/R₃ = k₂[N O]/k₃. Our previous studies show that k₂ lies in the range 10^10.3±0.2M^?1·sec^?1. The second system employs alkyl nitrites [RONO] as a thermal source of alkoxy radicals. The experimental conditions are very similar, except that we chose to use an atmosphere of nitric oxide for initial experiments. If anything nitric oxide appears to be superior to carbon tetrafluoride as an energy transfer agent. The mechanism is Hence R₃ = k₁'k₃[RO NO]/(k₃ + k₂ + k₆ [N O]). Results are given for R = t-Am, s-Bu, t-Bu, i-Pr, Et, and Me. In addition the first unequivocal evidence is given for the pressure dependence of k₃ when R = t-Bu. The implications for atmospheric chemistry and combustion are also discussed.