Accurate calculation of absolute one-electron redox potentials of some para-quinone derivatives in acetonitrile

Standard ab initio molecular orbital theory and density functional theory calculations have been used to calculate absolute one-electron reduction potentials of several para-quinones in acetonitrile. The high-level composite method of G3(MP2)-RAD is used for the gas-phase calculations and a continuum model of solvation, CPCM, has been employed to calculate solvation energies. To compare the theoretical reduction potentials with experiment, the reduction potentials relative to a standard calomel electrode (SCE) have also been calculated and compared to experimental values. The average error of the calculated reduction potentials using the proposed method is 0.07 V without any additional approximation. An ONIOM method in which the core is studied at G3(MP2)-RAD and the substituent effect of the rest of the molecule is studied at R(O)MP2/6-311+G(3df,2p) provides an accurate low-cost alternative to G3(MP2)-RAD for larger molecules.     

Trends in R-X bond dissociation energies (R = Me, Et, i-Pr, t-Bu; X = H, CH3, OCH3, OH, F): a surprising shortcoming of density functional theory

The performance of a variety of high-level composite procedures, as well as lower-cost density functional theory (DFT)- and second-order perturbation theory (MP2)-based methods, for the prediction of absolute and relative R-X bond dissociation energies (BDEs) was examined for R = Me, Et, i-Pr and t-Bu, and X = H, CH(3), OCH(3), OH and F. The methods considered include the high-level G3(MP2)-RAD and G3-RAD procedures, a variety of pure and hybrid DFT methods (B-LYP, B3-LYP, B3-P86, KMLYP, B1B95, MPW1PW91, MPW1B95, BB1K, MPW1K, MPWB1K and BMK), standard restricted (open-shell) MP2 (RMP2), and two recently introduced variants of MP2, namely spin-component-scaled MP2 (SCS-MP2) and scaled-opposite-spin MP2 (SOS-MP2). The high-level composite procedures show very good agreement with experiment and are used to evaluate the performance of the lower-level DFT- and MP2-based procedures. The best DFT methods (KMLYP and particularly BMK) provide very reasonable predictions for the absolute heats of formation and R-X BDEs for the systems studied. However, all of the DFT methods overestimate the stabilizing effect on BDEs in going from R = Me to R = t-Bu, leading in some cases to incorrect qualitative behavior. In contrast, the MP2-based methods generally show larger errors (than the best DFT methods) in the absolute heats of formation and BDEs, but better behavior for the relative BDEs, although they do tend to underestimate the stabilizing effect on BDEs in going from R = Me to R = t-Bu. The potentially less computationally expensive SOS-MP2 method offers particular promise as a reliable method that might be applicable to larger systems.     

Hammett correlations in the chemistry of 3-phenylpropyl radicals

The energetics and kinetics of the reaction of variously substituted benzyl radicals with a model alkene were calculated at the G3(MP2)-RAD//B3-LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory to determine whether such reactions are amenable to Hammett analysis. The reactions were studied both in the gas phase and in toluene solution in the temperature range 298-353 K; calculations include 1D-hindered rotor corrections for low frequency torsional modes, and the solvation energies were calculated using COSMO-RS at the BP/TZP level of theory. The addition reaction was found to be dominated by radical stabilization effects, but under circumstances where olefin substituent effects were decoupled from aryl substituent effects, a modest polar effect comes into play, which is enhanced by solvation. Reasonable correlations with empirical substituent parameters such as Hammett σ and σ(?) are observed for the enthalpy of activation, but additional entropic factors act to decrease the degree of correlation with respect to free energies and rate coefficients, confirming hypotheses from earlier experimental work. Substituent effects on the reverse β-fragmentation reaction, and potential cyclization of the 3-phenylpropyl radicals formed by addition are also discussed.     

Bond dissociation energies and radical stabilization energies: an assessment of contemporary theoretical procedures

Various contemporary theoretical procedures have been tested for their accuracy in predicting the bond dissociation energies (BDEs) and the radical stabilization energies (RSEs) for a test set of 22 monosubstituted methyl radicals. The procedures considered include the high-level W1, W1', CBS-QB3, ROCBS-QB3, G3(MP2)-RAD, and G3X(MP2)-RAD methods, unrestricted and restricted versions of the double-hybrid density functional theory (DFT) procedures B2-PLYP and MPW2-PLYP, and unrestricted and restricted versions of the hybrid DFT procedures BMK and MPWB1K, as well as the unrestricted DFT procedures UM05 and UM05-2X. The high-level composite procedures show very good agreement with experiment and are used to evaluate the performance of the comparatively less expensive DFT procedures. RMPWB1K and both RBMK and UBMK give very promising results for absolute BDEs, while additionally restricted and unrestricted X2-PLYP methods and UM05-2X give excellent RSE values. UM05, UB2-PLYP, UMPW2-PLYP, UM05-2X, and UMPWB1K are among the less well performing methods for BDEs, while UMPWB1K and UM05 perform less well for RSEs. The high-level theoretical results are used to recommend alternative experimental BDEs for propyne, acetaldehyde, and acetic acid.     

Reliable low-cost theoretical procedures for studying addition-fragmentation in RAFT polymerization

Enthalpies for the beta-scission reactions, R'SC(*)(Z)SR --> R'SC(Z)=S + (*)R (for R, R' = CH(3), CH(2)CH(3), CH(2)CN, C(CH(3))(2)CN, CH(2)COOCH(3), CH(CH(3))COOCH(3), CH(2)OCOCH(3), CH(2)Ph, C(CH(3))(2)Ph, and CH(CH(3))Ph and Z = CH(3), H, Cl, CN, CF(3), NH(2), Ph, CH(2)Ph, OCH(3), OCH(2)CH(3), OCH(CH(3))(2), OC(CH(3))(3), and F) have been calculated using a variety of DFT, MP2, and ONIOM-based methods, as well as G3(MP2)-RAD, with a view to identifying an accurate method that can be practically applied to larger systems. None of the DFT methods examined can reproduce the quantitative, nor qualitative, values of the fragmentation enthalpy; in most cases the relative errors are over 20 kJ mol(-1) and in some cases as much as 55 kJ mol(-1). The ROMP2 methods fare much better, but fail when the leaving group radical (R(*)) is substituted with a group (such as phenyl or CN) that delocalizes the unpaired electron. However, provided the primary substituents on the leaving group radical are included in the core system, an ONIOM-based approach in which the full system is studied via ROMP2 (or SCS- or SOS-MP2) calculations with the 6-311+G(3df,2p) basis set and the core system is studied at G3(MP2)-RAD can reproduce the corresponding G3(MP2)-RAD values of the full systems within 5 kJ mol(-1) and is a practical method for use on larger systems.     

G3 calculations of the proton affinity and ionization energy of dimethyl methylphosphonate

Dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), an important flame retardant in lithium-ion batteries, has been studied theoretically. The energy, enthalpy, and Gibbs free energy of DMMP and its protonated form (DMMP-H⁺) have been calculated using the high-level ab initio methods G3(MP2), G3(MP2)//B3LYP, G3, G3//B3-LYP, and CBS-QB3. All calculated proton affinities showed good agreement with experiment (within 1.5%), with the best values being obtained with G3MP2. At this level of theory, the calculated proton affinity of DMMP is 895 kJ · mol^?1. The ionization potential (9.94 eV) was calculated using the related procedure G3(MP2)-RAD, and also showed excellent with experiment (0.6%). Hydrogen bonding in DMMP-H⁺ has also been studied.     

Comparison of some representative density functional theory and wave function theory methods for the studies of amino acids

Energies of different conformers of 22 amino acid molecules and their protonated and deprotonated species were calculated by some density functional theory (DFT; SVWN, B3LYP, B3PW91, MPWB1K, BHandHLYP) and wave function theory (WFT; HF, MP2) methods with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set to obtain the relative conformer energies, vertical electron detachment energies, deprotonation energies, and proton affinities. Taking the CCSD/6-311++G(d,p) results as the references, the performances of the tested DFT and WFT methods for amino acids with various intramolecular hydrogen bonds were determined. The BHandHLYP method was the best overall performer among the tested DFT methods, and its accuracy was even better than that of the more expensive MP2 method. The computational dependencies of the five DFT methods and the HF and MP2 methods on the basis sets were further examined with the 6-31G(d,p), 6-311++G(d,p), aug-cc-pVDZ, 6-311++G(2df,p), and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. The differences between the small and large basis set results have decreased quickly for the hybrid generalized gradient approximation (GGA) methods. The basis set convergence of the MP2 results has been, however, very slow. Considering both the cost and the accuracy, the BHandHLYP functional with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set is the best choice for the amino acid systems that are rich in hydrogen bonds.     

Electron affinity and redox potential of tetrafluoro-p-benzoquinone: A theoretical study

The electron affinity of tetrafluoro-p-benzoquinone (2.69 eV) and the mono- (2.10 eV), 2,3-di- (2.29 eV), 2,5-di- (2.28 eV), 2,6-di- (2.31 eV) and tri- (2.48 eV) fluoro derivatives of p-benzoquinone have been calculated via standard ab initio molecular orbital theory at the G3(MP2)-RAD level of theory. Comparison of calculated electron affinities with the available experimental values shows excellent agreement between theory and experiment. The reduction potential of tetrafluoro-p-benzoquinone in acetonitrile vs. SCE (−0.03 V) has been calculated at the same level of theory and employing a continuum model of solvation (CPCM), and is also in excellent agreement with the experimental value (−0.04 V vs. SCE).     

One-electron oxidation and reduction potentials of nitroxide antioxidants: a theoretical study

High-level ab initio calculations have been used to determine the oxidation and reduction potentials of a large number of nitroxides including derivatives of piperidine, pyrrolidine, isoindoline, and azaphenalene, substituted with COOH, NH2, NH3+, OCH3, OH, and NO2 groups, with a view to (a) identifying a low-cost theoretical procedures for the determination of electrode potentials of nitroxides and (b) studying the effect of substituents on these systems. Accurate oxidation and reduction potentials to within 40 mV (3.9 kJ mol(-1)) of experimental values were found using G3(MP2)-RAD//B3-LYP/6-31G(d) gas-phase energies and PCM solvation calculations at the B3-LYP/6-31G(d) level. For larger systems, an ONIOM method in which G3(MP2)-RAD calculations for the core are combined with lower-cost RMP2/6-311+G(3df,2p) calculations for the full system, was able to approximate G3(MP2)-RAD values (to within 1.6 kJ mol(-1)) at a fraction of the computational cost. The overall ring structure has more effect on the electrode potentials than the inclusion of substituents. Azaphenalene derivatives display the lowest oxidation potentials and least negative reduction potentials and are thus the most promising target to function as antioxidants in biological systems. Piperidine and pyrrolidine derivatives have intermediate oxidation potentials but on average pyrrolidine derivatives display more negative reduction potentials. Isoindoline derivatives show higher oxidation potentials and more negative reduction potentials. Within a ring, the substituents have a relatively small effect with electron donating groups such as amino and hydroxy groups stabilizing the oxidized species and electron withdrawing groups such as carboxy groups stabilizing the reduced species, as expected.     

Comparison of aromatic NH···π, OH···π, and CH···π interactions of alanine using MP2, CCSD, and DFT methods

A comparison of the performance of various density functional methods including long‐range corrected and dispersion corrected methods [MPW1PW91, B3LYP, B3PW91, B97‐D, B1B95, MPWB1K, M06‐2X, SVWN5, ωB97XD, long‐range correction (LC)‐ωPBE, and CAM‐B3LYP using 6‐31+G(d,p) basis set] in the study of CH···π, OH···π, and NH···π interactions were done using weak complexes of neutral (A) and cationic (A⁺) forms of alanine with benzene by taking the Møller–Plesset (MP2)/6‐31+G(d,p) results as the reference. Further, the binding energies of the neutral alanine–benzene complexes were assessed at coupled cluster (CCSD)/6‐31G(d,p) method. Analysis of the molecular geometries and interaction energies at density functional theory (DFT), MP2, CCSD methods and CCSD(T) single point level reveal that MP2 is the best overall performer for noncovalent interactions giving accuracy close to CCSD method. MPWB1K fared better in interaction energy calculations than other DFT methods. In the case of M06‐2X, SVWN5, and the dispersion corrected B97‐D, the interaction energies are significantly overrated for neutral systems compared to other methods. However, for cationic systems, B97‐D yields structures and interaction energies similar to MP2 and MPWB1K methods. Among the long‐range corrected methods, LC‐ωPBE and CAM‐B3LYP methods show close agreement with MP2 values while ωB97XD energies are notably higher than MP2 values. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2010     

Composite Correlated Molecular Orbital Theory Calculations of Ring Strain for Use in Predicting Polymerization Reactions

Strained ring systems play an important role in synthesis and can be characterized by the ring strain energy (RSE). The RSE of 3, 4, 5, and 6 membered saturated and unsaturated ring systems containing N, O, P, and S heteroatoms and H, F, SiMe₃, and SO₂Me substituents were calculated at the G3(MP2) composite correlated molecular orbital theory level using up to 5 models to predict the RSE. Generally, the RSE decreased as ring size increased with a substantial decrease from 4 to 5 membered rings. Replacement of a ring CH₂ with P or S reduced the RSE, consistent with less angle strain. The RSE for unsaturated systems were generally greater than for saturated systems due to increased angle strain. No general trends were found with respect to substituent effects. The RSE values suggest that 3-pyrroline and 2-pyrroline and their derivatives may be able to support ring opening metathesis polymerization and warrant further study.     

An assessment of theoretical procedures for predicting the thermochemistry and kinetics of hydrogen abstraction by methyl radical from benzene

The reaction enthalpy (298 K), barrier (0 K), and activation energy and preexponential factor (600-800 K) have been examined computationally for the abstraction of hydrogen from benzene by the methyl radical, to assess their sensitivity to the applied level of theory. The computational methods considered include high-level composite procedures, including W1, G3-RAD, G3(MP2)-RAD, and CBS-QB3, as well as conventional ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) methods, with the latter two classes employing the 6-31G(d), 6-31+G(d,p) and/or 6-311+G(3df,2p) basis sets, and including ZPVE/thermal corrections obtained from 6-31G(d) or 6-31+G(d,p) calculations. Virtually all the theoretical procedures except UMP2 are found to give geometries that are suitable for subsequent calculation of the reaction enthalpy and barrier. For the reaction enthalpy, W1, G3-RAD, and URCCSD(T) give best agreement with experiment, while the large-basis-set DFT procedures slightly underestimate the endothermicity. The reaction barrier is slightly more sensitive to the choice of basis set and/or correlation level, with URCCSD(T) and the low-cost BMK method providing values in close agreement with the benchmark G3-RAD value. Inspection of the theoretically calculated rate parameters reveals a minor dependence on the level of theory for the preexponential factor. There is more sensitivity for the activation energy, with a reasonable agreement with experiment being obtained for the G3 methods and the hybrid functionals BMK, BB1K, and MPW1K, especially in combination with the 6-311+G(3df,2p) basis set. Overall, the high-level G3-RAD composite procedure, URCCSD(T), and the cost-effective DFT methods BMK, BB1K, and MPW1K give the best results among the methods assessed for calculating the thermochemistry and kinetics of hydrogen abstraction by the methyl radical from benzene.     

The kinetics of addition and fragmentation in reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization: An ab initio study

High-level ab initio calculations of the forward and reverse rate coefficients have been performed for a series of prototypical reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) reactions: R* + S=C(Z)SCH3 --> R-SC*(Z)SCH3, for R = CH3, with Z = CH3, Ph, and CH2Ph; and Z = CH3, with R = (CH3), CH2COOCH3, CH2Ph, and C(CH3)2CN. The addition reactions are fast (ca. 10(6)-10(8) L mol(-1) s(-1)), typically around three orders of magnitude faster than addition to the C=C bonds of alkenes. The fragmentation rate coefficients are much more sensitive to the nature of the substituents and vary from 10(-4) to 10(7) s(-1). In both directions, the qualitative effects of substituents on the rate coefficients largely follow those on the equilibrium constants of the reactions, with fragmentation being favored by bulky and radical-stabilizing R-groups and addition being favored by bulky and radical-stabilizing Z-groups. However, there is evidence for additional polar and hydrogen-bonding interactions in the transition structures of some of the reactions. Ab initio calculations were performed at the G3(MP2)-RAD//B3-LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory, and rates were obtained via variational transition state theory in conjunction with a hindered-rotor treatment of the low-frequency torsional modes. Various simplifications to this methodology were investigated with a view to identifying reliable procedures for the study of larger polymer-related systems. It appears that reasonable results may be achievable using standard transition state theory, in conjunction with ab initio calculations at the RMP2/6-311+G(3df,2p) level, provided the results for delocalized systems are corrected to the G3(MP2)-RAD level using an ONIOM-based procedure. The harmonic oscillator (HO) model may be suitable for qualitative "order-of-magnitude" studies of the kinetics of the individual reactions, but the hindered-rotor (HR) model is advisable for quantitative studies.     

Intramolecular homolytic substitution of seleninates – a computational study

Ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) calculations predict that intramolecular homolytic substitution by alkyl radicals at the selenium atom in seleninates proceeds through smooth transition states in which the attacking and leaving radicals adopt a near collinear arrangement. When forming a five-membered ring and the leaving radical is methyl, G3(MP2)-RAD calculations predict that this reaction proceeds with an activation energy (ΔE₁³) of 30.4 kJ mol^?1. ROBHandHLYP/6-311++G(d,p) calculations suggest that the formation of five-membered rings through similar intramolecular homolytic substitution by aryl radicals, with expulsion of phenyl radicals, proceeds with the involvement of a hypervalent intermediate. This intermediate further dissociates to the observed products, with overall energy barriers of about 40 kJ mol^?1. Homolytic addition to the phenyl group was found not to be competitive with substitution, with a calculated barrier of 57.6 kJ mol^?1. This computational study provides insight into homolytic substitution chemistry involving seleninates.     

Bond dissociation energies and radical stabilization energies associated with model peptide-backbone radicals

Bond dissociation energies (BDEs) and radical stabilization energies (RSEs) have been calculated for a series of models that represent a glycine-containing peptide-backbone. High-level methods that have been used include W1, CBS-QB3, U-CBS-QB3, and G3X(MP2)-RAD. Simpler methods used include MP2, B3-LYP, BMK, and MPWB1K in association with the 6-311+G(3df,2p) basis set. We find that the high-level methods produce BDEs and RSEs that are in good agreement with one another. Of the simpler methods, RBMK and RMPWB1K achieve good accuracy for BDEs and RSEs for all the species that were examined. For monosubstituted carbon-centered radicals, we find that the stabilizing effect (as measured by RSEs) of carbonyl substituents (CX=O) ranges from 24.7 to 36.9 kJ mol(-1), with the largest stabilization occurring for the CH=O group. Amino groups (NHY) also stabilize a monosubstituted alpha-carbon radical, with the calculated RSEs ranging from 44.5 to 49.5 kJ mol(-1), the largest stabilization occurring for the NH2 group. In combination, NHY and CX=O substituents on a disubstituted carbon-centered radical produce a large stabilizing effect ranging from 82.0 to 125.8 kJ mol(-1). This translates to a captodative (synergistic) stabilization of 12.8 to 39.4 kJ mol(-1). For monosubstituted nitrogen-centered radicals, we find that the stabilizing effect of methyl and related (CH2Z) substituents ranges from 25.9 to 31.7 kJ mol(-1), the largest stabilization occurring for the CH3 group. Carbonyl substituents (CX=O) destabilize a nitrogen-centered radical relative to the corresponding closed-shell molecule, with the calculated RSEs ranging from -30.8 to -22.3 kJ mol(-1), the largest destabilization occurring for the CH=O group. In combination, CH2Z and CX=O substituents at a nitrogen radical center produce a destabilizing effect ranging from -19.0 to -0.2 kJ mol(-1). This translates to an additional destabilization associated with disubstitution of -18.6 to -7.8 kJ mol(-1).     

Computational study of the chemistry of 3-phenylpropyl radicals

Density functional theory (DFT) and G3-type (G3(MP2)-RAD) composite calculations were performed on a series of substituted 3-phenylpropyl radicals, to determine the relative importance of fragmentation and cyclization reactions in the chemistry of such species. Our studies indicate that cyclization is generally the more important of these reactions, with exceptions where fragmentation yields highly stabilized benzylic species. The energetic barriers for the cyclization reactions (enthalpies of activation) were found to be determined largely by the stability of the reactant radical and to a lesser but significant extent, by steric factors. Polarity effects in the transition state (modeled by SOMO-LUMO gaps of the products) appear to be less important. The data obtained indicated that the addition of benzyl radical to alkenes may be considered to be irreversible, but calculations for α-substituted styrenic systems indicate that reversibility of addition may become a factor in dilute polymerizing solutions for select systems.     

Intramolecular homolytic substitution of sulfinates and sulfinamides--a computational study

Ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) calculations predict that intramolecular homolytic substitution by alkyl radicals at the sulfur atom in sulfinates proceeds through a smooth transition state in which the attacking and leaving radicals adopt a near collinear arrangement. When forming a five-membered ring and the leaving radical is methyl, G3(MP2)-RAD//ROBHandHLYP/6-311++G(d,p) calculations predict that this reaction proceeds with an activation energy (ΔE(1)(?)) of 43.2 kJ mol(-1). ROBHandHLYP/6-311++G(d,p) calculations suggest that the formation of five-membered rings through intramolecular homolytic substitution by aryl radicals at the sulfur atom in sulfinates and sulfinamides, with expulsion of phenyl radicals, proceeds with the involvement of hypervalent intermediates. These intermediates further dissociate to the observed products, with overall energy barriers of 45-68 kJ mol(-1), depending on the system of interest. In each case, homolytic addition to the phenyl group competes with substitution, with calculated barriers of 51-78 kJ mol(-1). This computational study complements and provides insight into previous experimental observations.     

Proton affinities of ketones, vicinal diketones and α-keto esters: a computational study

The proton affinities of seven different ketones, vicinal diketones, and α-keto esters (acetophenone, 2,2,2-trifluoroacetophenone, 2,3-butanedione, 1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione, methyl pyruvate, ethyl benzoylformate, and ketopantolactone) have been evaluated theoretically using the conventional ab initio HF and several post-HF methods (MP2, MP4, CCSD), density functional methods with the B3LYP hybrid functional, as well as some ab initio model chemistries [CBS-4M, G2(MP2), and G3(MP2)//B3LYP]. The chemical compounds studied are frequently used substrates in the asymmetric hydrogenation over chirally modified platinum catalysts where the protonation properties of the chiral modifier and the substrates are of great interest. In most cases, the proton affinities (PAs) evaluated with the CCSD/6-311+G(d,p)//B3LYP/TZVP and G2(MP2) methods are in good agreement with the existing experimental ones. However, the previously reported PA of 2,3-butanedione seems to be too high by 10-15 kJ mol⁻¹. The B3LYP/TZVP//B3LYP/TZVP and MP2/6-311+G(d,p)//B3LYP/TZVP model chemistries predict proton affinities that are systematically higher and lower than the experimental PAs, respectively. If proton affinities are evaluated as the average of the PAs calculated with these two theoretical methods a very good agreement with the experimental results is obtained. The mean absolute deviation (MAD) from experiment of this combination method for the PAs of 13 test molecules is 4.0 kJ mol⁻¹. For 9 molecules composed only of first-row atoms the MAD is 2.5 kJ mol⁻¹. The B3LYP/TZVP//B3LYP/TZVP and MP2/6-311+G(d,p)//B3LYP/TZVP methods provide significant savings in computational time and disk space compared to the CCSD/6-311+G(d,p)//B3LYP/TZVP and G2(MP2) models. Therefore, it is suggested that if no experimental or highly accurate theoretical data is available (due to computational cost), the proton affinities of similar compounds as investigated in this paper, can be evaluated with the combination method. For the studied molecules, this method gives the following PAs (in kJ mol⁻¹): 788 (2,3-butanedione, exptl 802); 798 (2,2,2-trifluoroacetophenone, exptl 799); 811 (ketopantolactone); 813 (methyl pyruvate); 825 (1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione); 862 (acetophenone, exptl 861); 865 (ethyl benzoylformate).     

Theoretical study on the mechanism and kinetics of addition of hydroxyl radicals to fluorobenzene

Geometries, frequencies, reaction barriers, and reaction rates were calculated for the addition of OH radical to fluorobenzene using Möller–Plesset second‐order perturbation (MP2) and G3 methods. Four stationary points were found along each reaction path: reactants, prereaction complex, transition state, and product. A potential for association of OH radical and fluorobenzene into prereaction complex was calculated, and the associated transition state was determined for the first time. G3 calculations give higher reaction barriers than MP2, but also a significantly deeper prereaction complex minimum. The rate constants, calculated with Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus (RRKM) theory using G3 energies, are much faster and in much better agreement with the experiment than those calculated with MP2 method, as the deeper well favors the formation of prereaction complex and also increases the final relative populations of adducts. The discrepancies between the experimental and calculated rate constants are attributed to the errors in calculated frequencies as well as to the overestimated G3 reaction barriers and underestimated prereaction complex well depth. It was possible to rectify those errors and to reproduce the experimental reaction rates in the temperature range 230–310 K by treating the relative translation of OH radical and fluorobenzene as a two‐dimensional particle‐in‐the‐box approximation and by downshifting the prereaction complex well and reaction barriers by 0.7 kcal mol^?1. The isomeric distribution of fluorohydroxycyclohexadienyl radicals is calculated from the reaction rates to be 30.9% ortho, 22.6% meta, 38.4% para, and 8.3% ipso. These results are in agreement with experiment that also shows dominance of ortho and para channels. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.