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.     

UV photodissociation of ethylamine cation: a combined experimental and theoretical investigation

Direct current (DC) slice imaging of state-selected ions is combined with high-level ab initio calculations to give insight into reaction pathways, dynamics, and energetics for ethylamine cation photodissociation at 233 nm. These reaction pathways are of interest for understanding the rich chemistry of Titan's ionosphere recently revealed by the Cassini mission. The result for the H-loss product has a bimodal translational energy distribution, indicating two distinct H-loss pathways: these are assigned to triplet CH(3)CH(2)NH(+) product ions and the singlet CH(3)CHNH(2)(+) species. The distribution shows a modest fraction of energy available in translation and is consistent with barrierless dissociation from the ground state. HCNH(+) formation is observed as the dominant channel and exhibits a bimodal translational energy distribution with the faster component depicting a significant angular anisotropy. This suggests a direct excited-state decay pathway for this portion of the distribution. We have also observed the H + H(2) loss product as a minor secondary dissociation channel, which correlates well with the formation of CH(2)CNH(2)(+) ion with an exit barrier.     

Theoretical study of the benzyl+O2 reaction: kinetics, mechanism, and product branching ratios

Ab initio calculations at the level of CBS-QB3 theory have been performed to investigate the potential energy surface for the reaction of benzyl radical with molecular oxygen. The reaction is shown to proceed with an exothermic barrierless addition of O2 to the benzyl radical to form benzylperoxy radical (2). The benzylperoxy radical was found to have three dissociation channels, giving benzaldehyde (4) and OH radical through the four-centered transition states (channel B), giving benzyl hydroperoxide (5) through the six-centered transition states (channel C), and giving O2-adduct (8) through the four-centered transition states (channel D), in addition to the backward reaction forming benzyl radical and O2 (channel E). The master equation analysis suggested that the rate constant for the backward reaction (E) of C6H5CH2OO-->C6H5CH2+O2 was several orders of magnitude higher that those for the product dissociation channels (B-D) for temperatures 300-1500 K and pressures 0.1-10 atm; therefore, it was also suggested that the dissociation of benzylperoxy radicals proceeded with the partial equilibrium between the benzyl+O2 and benzylperoxy radicals. The rate constants for product channels B-D were also calculated, and it was found that the rate constant for each dissociation reaction pathway was higher in the order of channel D>channel C>channel B for all temperature and pressure ranges. The rate constants for the reaction of benzyl+O2 were computed from the equilibrium constant and from the predicted rate constant for the backward reaction (E). Finally, the product branching ratios forming CH2O molecules and OH radicals formed by the reaction of benzyl+O2 were also calculated using the stationary state approximation for each reaction intermediate.     

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).     

Association rate constants for reactions between resonance-stabilized radicals: C3H3 + C3H3, C3H3 + C3H5, and C3H5 + C3H5

Reactions between resonance-stabilized radicals play an important role in combustion chemistry. The theoretical prediction of rate coefficients and product distributions for such reactions is complicated by the fact that the initial complex-formation steps and some dissociation steps are barrierless. In this paper direct variable reaction coordinate transition state theory (VRC-TST) is used to predict accurately the association rate constants for the self and cross reactions of propargyl and allyl radicals. For each reaction, a set of multifaceted dividing surfaces is used to account for the multiple possible addition channels. Because of their resonant nature the geometric relaxation of the radicals is important. Here, the effect of this relaxation is explicitly calculated with the UB3LYP/cc-pvdz method for each mutual orientation encountered in the configurational integrals over the transition state dividing surfaces. The final energies are obtained from CASPT2/cc-pvdz calculations with all pi-orbitals in the active space. Evaluations along the minimum energy path suggest that basis set corrections are negligible. The VRC-TST approach was also used to calculate the association rate constant and the corresponding number of states for the C(6)H(5) + H --> C(6)H(6) exit channel of the C(3)H(3) + C(3)H(3) reaction, which is also barrierless. For this reaction, the interaction energies were evaluated with the CASPT2(2e,2o)/cc-pvdz method and a 1-D correction is included on the basis of CAS+1+2+QC/aug-cc-pvtz calculations for the CH(3) + H reference system. For the C(3)H(3) + C(3)H(3) reaction, the VRC-TST results for the energy and angular momentum resolved numbers of states in the entrance channels and in the C(6)H(5) + H exit channel are incorporated in a master equation simulation to determine the temperature and pressure dependence of the phenomenological rate coefficients. The rate constants for the C(3)H(3) + C(3)H(3) and C(3)H(5) + C(3)H(5) self-reactions compare favorably with the available experimental data. To our knowledge there are no experimental rate data for the C(3)H(3) + C(3)H(5) reaction.     

Ab initio direct dynamics trajectory simulation of C2H5F-->C2H4 + HF product energy partitioning

Direct dynamics classical trajectory simulations were performed to study product energy partitioning in C(2)H(5)F-->C(2)H(4)+HF dissociation. The intrinsic reaction coordinate potential energy curve, reaction energetics, and transition state (TS) properties were calculated for this reaction at different levels of electronic structure theory, and MP2/6-31G( *) was chosen as a meaningful and practical method for performing the direct dynamics. The trajectories show that the HF bond, uncoupled from the other degrees of freedom, is formed within the first 10 fs as the system moves from the TS towards products. The populations of the HF vibration states, determined from the simulations, decrease monotonically as found from experiments. However, the simulation's populations for the low and high energy vibration states are larger and smaller, respectively, than the experimental results. The HF rotational temperature found from the simulations is in agreement with experiment. Increasing the TS's excess energy gives higher rotational temperatures for both C(2)H(4) and HF. Energy is partitioned to the products from both the excess energy in the TS and the potential energy release in the exit channel. Partitioning from these two energy sources is distinguished by varying the TS's excess energy. An analysis of the simulation's energy disposal shows that the fractions of the excess energy partitioned to relative translation, C(2)H(4) vibration, C(2)H(4) rotation, HF vibration, and HF rotation, are 0.17, 0.64, 0.076, 0.067, and 0.046, respectively, and are in good agreement with previous simulations on empirical potentials and experiments. The partitioning found for the potential energy release is 81%, <0.05%, 5%, 11%, and 3% to relative translation, C(2)H(4) vibration, C(2)H(4) rotation, HF vibration, and HF rotation. This result is substantially different than the deduction from experiments, which summarizes the partitioning as 20%, 45%, 24%, and <12% to relative translation, C(2)H(4) vibration+rotation, HF vibration, and HF rotation. Possible origins of the difference between the simulations and experiments in the release of the potential energy is discussed.     

Direct ab initio molecular dynamics study on a microsolvated SN2 reaction of OH-(H2O) with CH3Cl

Reaction dynamics for a microsolvated SN2 reaction OH-(H2O)+CH3Cl have been investigated by means of the direct ab initio molecular dynamics method. The relative center-of-mass collision energies were chosen as 10, 15, and 25 kcal/mol. Three reaction channels were found as products. These are (1) a channel leading to complete dissociation (the products are CH3OH+Cl- +H2O: denoted by channel I), (2) a solvation channel (the products are Cl-(H2O)+CH3OH: channel II), and (3) a complex formation channel (the products are CH3OH...H2O+Cl-: channel III). The branching ratios for the three channels were drastically changed as a function of center-of-mass collision energy. The ratio of complete dissociation channel (channel I) increased with increasing collision energy, whereas that of channel III decreased. The solvation channel (channel II) was minor at all collision energies. The selectivity of the reaction channels and the mechanism are discussed on the basis of the theoretical results.     

Photophysics of organic photostabilizers. Ab initio study of the excited-state deactivation mechanisms of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzotriazole

Excited-state reaction paths and the corresponding energy profiles of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzotriazole (TIN-H) have been determined with the CC2 (simplified singles-and-doubles coupled-cluster) ab initio method. Hydrogen transfer along the intramolecular hydrogen bond, torsion of the aromatic rings and pyramidization of the central nitrogen atom are identified as the most relevant photochemical reaction coordinates. The keto-type planar S(1) state reached by barrierless intramolecular hydrogen transfer is found to be unstable with respect to torsion. The latter mode, together with a moderate pyramidization of the central nitrogen atom, provides barrierless access to a S(1)-S(0) conical intersection. Only the pi-type orbitals of the aromatic rings are involved in the open-shell structures. The S(1)-S(0) conical intersection, which occurs for perpendicular geometry of the aromatic rings, is a pure biradical. From the conical intersection, a barrierless reaction path steers the system back to the enol-type minimum of the S(0) potential-energy surface, thus closing the photocycle. This photophysical pathway accounts for the remarkable photostability of the molecule.     

Finding the transition state without initial guess: the growing string method for Newton trajectory to isomerization and enantiomerization reaction of alanine dipeptide and poly(15)alanine

We report a new, high-dimensional application of a method for finding a transition state (TS) between a reactant and a product on the potential energy surface: the search of a growing string along a reaction path defined by any Newton trajectory in combination with the Berny method (Quapp, J Chem Phys (2005), 122, 174106; we have provided this algorithm on a web page). Two given minima are connected by a one-dimensional, but usually curvilinear reaction coordinate. It leads to the TS region. The application of the method to alanine dipeptide finds the TS of the isomerisation C(7 ax) --> C(5), some TSs of the enantiomerisation of C(7 ax) from L-form to quasi-D-form, and it finds the TS region of a transition of a partly unfolded, bent structure which turns back into a mainly alpha-helix in the Ac(Ala)(15)NHMe polyalanine (all at the quantum mechanical level B3LYP/6-31G: the growing string calculation is interfaced with the Gaussian03 package). The formation or dissolvation of some alpha- or 3(10)-hydrogen bonds of the helix are discussed along the TS pathway, as well as the case of an enantiomer at the central residue of the helix.     

Ultrafast twisting dynamics in the excited state of auramine

Relaxation dynamics of the excited state of bis-[4-(dimethylamino)-phenyl] methaniminium chloride (Auramine) has been investigated using subpicosecond time-resolved absorption spectroscopic technique in both aprotic and alcoholic solvents. The locally excited (LE) state, formed following photoexcitation of Auramine using 400 nm light, undergoes intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) process, which is accompanied by the twisting of the dimethylanilino groups. Time evolution of the transient absorption-stimulated emission spectra as well as the wavelength dependence of the temporal dynamics investigated in each kind of solvents suggest that the relaxation process proceeds via the formation of at least two transient states (TS I and TS II), which are geometrical conformers and consecutively formed following the decay of the LE state. Twisting of the dimethylaniline groups are nearly barrierless processes, the rates of which show linear correlation both with the macroscopic or shear viscosities as well as the solvation times of the solvents. Time-dependent and fractional viscosity dependence of the relaxation rates of the LE and the TS I states in aprotic solvents suggest the multidimensionality of the reaction coordinate as well as reveal the viscoelastic property of the solvents. However, in normal alcohols, in addition to these two factors, activation energy of the solvent viscosity may be another important factor for the slower twisting dynamics of Auramine in alcohols. To explain the viscosity dependence of the decay time of the TS II state, which undergoes an efficient internal conversion process to the ground state, the possibility of occurrence of different mechanisms, such as, energy gap law, involvement of intramolecular high frequency modes, as well as the phenyl group twisting motion on a potential energy surface having a photochemical funnel, have been discussed. TDDFT method has been applied to obtain the optimized electronic structures of the transient states but it has been possible to obtain only that for the TS II state.     

Global mapping of equilibrium and transition structures on potential energy surfaces by the scaled hypersphere search method: applications to ab initio surfaces of formaldehyde and propyne molecules

Technical details of a new global mapping technique for finding equilibrium (EQ) and transition structures (TS) on potential energy surfaces (PES), the scaled hypersphere search (SHS) method (Ohno, K.; Maeda, S. Chem. Phys. Lett. 2004, 384, 277), are presented. On the basis of a simple principle that reaction pathways are found as anharmonic downward distortions of PES around an EQ point, the reaction pathways can be obtained as energy minima on the scaled hypersphere surface, which would have a constant energy when the potentials are harmonic. Connections of SHS paths between each EQ are very similar to corresponding intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) connections. The energy maximum along the SHS path reaches a region in close proximity to the TS of the reaction pathway, and the subsequent geometry optimization from the SHS maximum structure easily converges to the TS. The SHS method, using the one-after-another algorithm connecting EQ and TS, considerably reduces the multidimensional space to be searched to certain limited regions around the pathways connecting each EQ with the neighboring TS. Applications of the SHS method have been made to ab initio surfaces of formaldehyde and propyne molecules to obtain systematically five EQ and nine TS for formaldehyde and seven EQ and 32 TS for propyne.     

Study of the C(3P) + OH(X2Pi) --> CO(X1Sigma(g)+) + H(2S) reaction: a fully global ab initio potential energy surface of the X2A' state

The C((3)P) + OH(X (2)Pi) --> CO(X (1)Sigma(g)(+)) + H((2)S) reaction has been investigated by ab initio electronic structure calculations of the X(2)A' state based on the multireference (MR) internally contracted single and double configuration interaction (SDCI) method plus Davidson correction (+Q) using Dunning aug-cc-pVQZ basis sets. In particular, the multireference space is taken to be a complete active space (CAS). Improvement over previously proposed potential energy surfaces for HCO/COH is obtained in the sense that present surface describes also the potential part where the CO interatomic distance is large. A large number of geometries (around 2000) have been calculated and analytically fitted using the reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) method of Ho and Rabitz both for the two-body and three-body terms following the many-body decomposition of the total electronic energies. Results show that the global reaction is highly exothermic ( approximately 6.4 eV) and barrierless (relative to the reactant channel), while five potential barriers are located on this surface. The three minima and five saddle points observed are characterized and found to be in good agreement with previous work. The three minima correspond to the formation of HCO and COH complexes and to the CO + H products, with the COH complex being a metastable minimum relative to the product channel. The five saddle points correspond to potential barriers for both the dissociation/formation of HCO and COH into/from CO + H, to barriers for the isomerization of HCO into COH and to barriers for the inversion of HCO and COH through their respective linear configuration.     

Theoretical study of the dynamics of Cl + O3 reaction I. Ab initio potential energy surface and quasiclassical trajectory results

We present a global full dimensional potential energy surface (PES) for the Cl + O(3)→ ClO + O(2) reaction, which is an elementary step in a catalytic cycle that leads to the destruction of ozone in the stratosphere. The PES is constructed by interpolation of quantum chemistry data using the method developed by Collins and co-workers. Ab initio data points (energy, gradients and Hessian matrix elements) have been calculated at the UQCISD/aug-cc-pVDZ (unrestricted quadratic configuration interaction with single and double excitations) level of theory. The ab initio calculations predict a markedly non-coplanar (dihedral angle of 80°) transition state for the reaction, located very early in the reactant valley and slightly below the energy of the reactants as long as the spin-orbit splitting is neglected. Quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) calculations have been carried out at several collision energies to investigate the reaction dynamics. The QCT excitation function shows no threshold, displays a minimum at a collision energy of 2.5 kcal mol(-1), and then increases monotonically at larger collision energies. This behaviour is consistent with a barrierless reaction dominated by an oxygen-abstraction mechanism. The calculated product vibrational distributions (strongly inverted for ClO) and rate constants are compared with experimental determinations. Differential cross sections (DCS) summed over all final states are found to be in fairly good agreement with those derived from crossed molecular beam experiments.     

RRKM理论研究N(4S)+CH2X(X=F,Cl)的反应通道

采用RRKM理论和疏松过渡态模型计算了N(4S)+CH2X(X=F,Cl)反应的微正则速率常数和通道分支比.计算结果表明,在较低的内能下(E=280.29 kJ/mol), N(4S)+CH2F的主要产物为NCHF+H,占总产物的59.2%,次要产物为H2CN+F,占37.4%.而N(4S)+CH2Cl反应在E＝267.78 kJ/mol时,主要产物是H2CN+Cl,占90.3%, NCHCl+H只占9.0%.在内能较高的时候(取E=500.00 kJ/mol), N(4S)+CH2F的主要通道并未变化,而N(4S)+CH2Cl的主要通道变为NCHCl+H,比例为51.5%, H2CN+Cl的比例降到40.4%.     

Ab initio方法研究CH~3+OClO反应的可能通道

利用abinitio方法研究了CH~3+OClO反应的三个可能通道,首次应用UMP2(full)/6-31G(d,p)方法得到各反应物、产物、中间物及过渡态的优化构型和谐振频率;然后采用G2MP2理论计算各通道反应焓变和势垒高度。理论计算表明产物通道CH~2O+HOCl是最可能发生的途径,反应放热为443.80kJ·mol^-^1。可能的反应过程为：CH~3和OClO自由基先经无垒过程生成了一个富能中间物,继而通过较低的势垒解离成HOCl+H~2CO。     

丁酸甲酯单分子解离的非谐振效应

使用MP2/6-311++G（2d,2p）方法和基组,计算了丁酸甲酯单分子解离反应体系详细的势能面。应用RRKM理论,计算了在1000-5000 K的温度范围内的正则系综的速率常数。与此同时,在微正则系综下,我们计算了温度为1000-5000 K对应的能量从451.92到1519.52 kJ·mol^-1的速率常数。计算结果表明反应通道2、4和5的非谐振效应比较明显。因此对于丁酸甲酯单分子解离反应体系来说其非谐振效应是不能忽视的。     

Accurate quantum mechanical calculations of differential and integral cross sections and rate constant for the O+OH reaction using an ab initio potential energy surface

The authors report accurate quantum mechanical studies of the O+OH reaction on the improved Xu-Xie-Zhang-Lin-Guo potential energy surface. The differential cross section was obtained at several energies near the reaction threshold using a time-independent method. The dominant forward and backward peaks in the angular distribution are consistent with a complex-forming mechanism, which is also confirmed by the extensive rotational excitation in the O2 product. However, the asymmetry of these peaks suggests a significant nonstatistical component. The initial state (upsilon i=0, j i=0) specified integral cross section, which was calculated up to 1.15 eV of collision energy using the Chebyshev wave packet method, shows no energy threshold and decreases with the increasing collision energy, consistent with the barrierless nature of the reaction. The resulting rate constant exhibits a negative temperature dependence for T>100 K and decays as the temperature is lowered, in qualitative agreement with available experimental data.     

金属Ir4 Cluster催化丙烯加氢反应势能面的密度泛函理论研究

用密度泛函理论(DFT)对金属Ir4 cluster催化丙烯Propene加氢反应的反应机理进行了理论研究. 在B3LYP理论水平下优化了反应通道上反应物、中间体、过渡态和产物各驻点物种的几何构型, 构建了该反应的基态势能面. 计算结果表明, Ir4 cluster催化丙烯加氢反应, 主要通过3条反应通道(c,d和e)进行. 主反应通道c 是H1原子先经过中间体1加成到丙烯的边端C上形成中间体3, 然后H2原子经过渡态TS3—5, 中间体5和过渡态TS5-P加成到中间C上生成产物P. c通道无论从动力学角度还是热力学角度都是最有利的; 反应通道d和e中的最高势垒和通道c上的相比差别不大, 具有一定的竞争性, 是次通道.     

Mechanism of the initial stages of nitrogen-doped single-walled carbon nanotube growth

We have studied the mechanism of the initial stages of nitrogen-doped single-walled carbon nanotube growth illustrated for the case of a floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition system, which uses carbon monoxide (CO) and ammonia (NH(3)) as precursors and iron as a catalyst. We performed first-principles electronic-structure calculations, fully incorporating the effects of spin polarization and magnetic moments, to investigate the bonding and chemistry of CO, NH(3), and their fragments on a model Fe(55) icosahedral cluster. A possible dissociation path for NH(3) to atomic nitrogen and hydrogen was identified, with a reaction barrier consistent with an experimentally determined value we measured by tandem infrared and mass spectrometry. Both C-C and C-N bond formation reactions were found to be barrierless and exothermic, while a parasitic reaction of HCN formation had a barrier of over 1 eV.     

HCl adsorption on ice at low temperature: a combined X-ray absorption, photoemission and infrared study

The reaction of HCl on water ice provides a simple case for understanding dissociation and proton transfer in this non-optimal, incomplete solvation environment, playing a central role in atmospheric chemistry. This reaction has been repeatedly reported as thermally dependent, whereas the theoretical models predict a spontaneous dissociation. We examine the adsorption of HCl on ice at low temperature (50 K and 90 K) via a combination of near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (NEXAFS) at the chlorine L-edge, photoemission (XPS and UPS), and reflection-adsorption infrared spectroscopy (FT-RAIRS). We show the complete dissociation of HCl into Cl(-) and H(+) through 3 hydrogen bonds, predominantly by direct reaction with water (80%) and by self-solvation (20%), in full agreement with the prediction of a barrierless process.