The mechanisms of the reactions of W and W+ with COx (x=1, 2): a computational study

The mechanisms of the reactions of W and W+ with COx (x=1, 2) were studied at the CCSD(T)/[SDD+6-311G(d)]//B3LYP/[SDD+6-31G(d)] level of theory. It was shown that the gas-phase reaction of W with CO2 proceeds with a negligible barrier via an insertion pathway, W(7S)+CO2(1A1)-->W(eta2-OCO)(6A')-->OW(eta1-CO)(1A)-->WO (3Sigma+)+CO(1Sigma). This oxidation process is calculated to be exothermic by 32.4 kcal/mol. Possible intermediates of this reaction are the W(eta2-OCO) and OWCO complexes, among which the latter is 37.4 kcal/mol more stable and lies 39.7 and 7.3 kcal/mol lower than the reactants, W(7S)+CO2(1A1), and the products, WO (3Sigma+)+CO(1Sigma), respectively. The barrier separating W(eta2-OCO) from OWCO is 8.0 kcal/mol (relative to the W(eta2-OCO) complex), which may be characterized as a W+delta-(CO2)-delta charge-transfer complex. Ionization of W does not change the character of the reaction of W with CO2: the reaction of W+ with CO2, like its neutral analog, proceeds via an insertion pathway and leads to oxidation of the W-center. The overall reaction W+(6D) + CO2(1A1)-->W(eta1-OCO)+(6A)-->OW(eta1-CO)+(4A)-->WO+(4Sigma+)+CO(1Sigma) is calculated to be exothermic by 25.4 kcal/mol. The cationic reaction proceeds with a somewhat large (9.9 kcal/mol) barrier and produces two intermediates, W(eta1-OCO)+(6A) and OW(eta1-CO)+(4A). Intermediate W(eta1-OCO)+(6A) is 20.0 kcal/mol less stable than OW(eta1-CO)+(4A), and separated from the latter by a 35.2 kcal/mol barrier. Complex W(eta1-OCO)+(6A) is characterized as an ion-molecular complex type of W+-(CO2). Gas-phase reactions of M=W/W+ with CO lead to the formation of a W-carbonyl complex M(eta1-CO) for both M=W and W+. The C-O insertion product, OMC, lies by 5.2 and 69.3 kcal/mol higher than the corresponding M(eta1-CO) isomer, for M=W and W+, respectively, and is separated from the latter by a large energy barrier.     

Thermolysis of alkyl sulfoxides and derivatives: a comparison of experiment and theory.

Gas-phase activation data were obtained for model sulfoxide elimination reactions. The activation enthalpy for methyl 3-phenylpropyl sulfoxide is 32.9 +/- 0.9 kcal/mol. Elimination by methyl vinyl sulfoxide to form acetylene has an enthalpic barrier of 41.6 +/- 0.8 kcal/mol and that of 3-phenylpropyl methanesulfinate to form hydrocinnamaldehyde is 34.6 +/- 0.6 kcal/mol. Calculations at the MP2/6-311+G(3df,2p)//MP2/6-31G(d,p) level for simplified models of these reactions provide barriers of 32.3, 40.3, and 32.7 kcal/mol, respectively. A series of other compounds are examined computationally, and it is shown that the substituent effects on the sulfoxide elimination reaction are much more straightforward to interpret if DeltaH data are available in addition to the usually determined DeltaH++. The activation enthalpy of the reverse addition reaction is also subject to structural variation and can usually be rationalized on the basis of nucleophilicity of the sulfur or polarity matching between the sulfenic acid and olefin derivative.     

Reactivity of alkyl versus silyl peroxides. The consequences of 1, 2-silicon bridging on the epoxidation of alkenes with silyl hydroperoxides and bis(trialkylsilyl)peroxides

The bond dissociation energies for a series of silyl peroxides have been calculated at the G2 and CBS-Q levels of theory. A comparison is made with the O-O BDE of the corresponding dialkyl peroxides, and the effect of the O-O bond strength on the activation barrier for oxygen atom transfer is discussed. The O-O bond dissociation enthalpies (DeltaH(298)) for bis (trimethylsilyl) peroxide (1) and trimethylsilyl hydroperoxide (2) are 54.8 and 53.1 kcal/mol, respectively at the G2 (MP2) and CBS-Q levels of theory. The O-O bond dissociation energies computed at G2 and G2(MP2) levels for bis(tert-butyl) peroxide and tert-butyl hydroperoxide are 45.2 and 48.3 kcal/mol, respectively. The barrier height for 1,2-methyl migration from silicon to oxygen in trimethylsilyl hydroperoxide is 47.9 kcal/mol (MP4//MP2/6-31G). The activation energy for the oxidation of trimethylamine to its N-oxide by bis(trimethylsilyl) peroxide is 28.2 kcal/mol (B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p)// B3LYP/6-31G(d)). 1,2-Silicon bridging in the transition state for oxygen atom transfer to a nucleophilic amine results in a significant reduction in the barrier height. The barrier for the epoxidation of E-2-butene with bis(dimethyl(trifluoromethyl))silyl peroxide is 25.8 kcal/mol; a reduction of 7.5 kcal/mol relative to epoxidation with 1. The activation energy calculated for the epoxidation of E-2-butene with F(3)SiOOSiF(3) is reduced to only 2.2 kcal/mol reflecting the inductive effect of the electronegative fluorine atoms.     

Electronic Factors Influencing the Decarboxylation of beta-Keto Acids. A Model Enzyme Study

A theoretical study of the mechanism of decarboxylation of beta-keto acids is described. A cyclic transition structure was found with essentially complete proton transfer from the carboxylic acid to the beta-carbonyl group. The activation barrier for decarboxylation of formylacetic acid is predicted to be 28.6 kcal/mol (MP4SDTQ/6-31G//MP2/6-31G) while loss of CO(2) from its anion exhibits a barrier of only 20.6 kcal/mol (MP4SDTQ/6-31+G//MP2/6-31+G). Barrier heights of decarboxylation of malonic acid and alpha,alpha-dimethylacetoacetic acid are predicted to be 33.2 and 26.7 kcal/mol, respectively. Model enzyme studies using a thio methyl ester of malonate anion suggests that the role of malonyl-CoA is to afford a polarizable sulfur atom to stabilize the developing enolate anion in the transition structure for decarboxylation. Adjacent positively charged ammonium ions are also observed to stabilize the loss of CO(2) from a carboxylate anion by through-bond Coulombic stabilization of the transition structure.     

Radical-molecule reactions HCO/HOC + C2H2: mechanistic study

A detailed computational study is performed on the unknown radical-molecule reactions between HCO/HOC and acetylene (C2H2) at the CCSD(T)/6-311G(2d,p)//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p)+ZPVE, Gaussian-3//B3LYP/6-31G(d), and Gaussian-3//MP2(full)/6-31G(d) levels. For the HCO + C2H2 reaction, the most favorable pathway is direct C-addition forming the intermediate HC=CHCH=O followed by a 1,3-H-shift leading to H2C=CHC=O, which finally dissociates to the product C2H3 + CO. The overall reaction barrier is 13.8, 10.5, and 11.3 kcal/mol, respectively, at the three levels. The quasi-direct H-donation process to produce C2H3 + CO with barriers of 14.0, 14.1, and 14.1 kcal/mol is less competitive. Thus only at higher temperatures could the HCO + C2H2 reaction play a role. In contrast, the HOC + C2H2 reaction can barrierlessly generate C2H3 + CO via the quasi-direct H-donation mechanism proceeding via a prereactive complex with OH...C2 hydrogen bonding. This is suggestive of the potential importance of the HOC + C2H2 reaction in both combustion and interstellar processes. However, the direct C-addition channel is much less competitive. For both reactions, the possible formation of the intriguing interstellar molecules propadiene and propynal is also discussed. The present theoretical study represents the first attempt to probe the reaction mechanism between HOC and pi-systems. Future laboratory investigations on both reactions (particularly HOC + C2H2) are recommended.     

Quantum mechanical study of the potential energy surface of the ClO + NO2 reaction

In the study of the reaction pathways of the ClO + NO2 reaction including reliable structures of the reactants, products, intermediates, and transition states as well as energies the MP2/6-311G(d), B3LYP/6-311G(d), and G2(MP2) methods have been employed. Chlorine nitrate, ClONO2, is formed by N-O association without an entrance barrier and is stabilized by 29.8 kcal mol(-1). It can undergo either a direct 1,3 migration of Cl or OCl rotation to yield an indistinguishable isomer. The corresponding barriers are 45.8 and 7.1 kcal mol(-1), respectively. ClONO2 can further decompose into NO3 + Cl with an endothermicity of 46.4 kcal mol(-1). The overall endothermicity of the NO2 + ClO --> NO3 + Cl reaction is calculated to be 16.6 kcal mol(-1). The formation of cis-perp and trans-perp conformer of chlorine preoxynitrite, ClOONO(cp) and ClOONO(tp), are exothermic by 5.4 and 3.8 kcal mol(-1), respectively. Calculations on the possible reaction pathways for the isomerization of ClOONO to ClONO2 showed that the activation barriers are too high to account for appreciable nitrate formation from peroxynitrite isomerization. All quoted relative energies are related to G2(MP2) calculations.     

Mechanism of the hydration of carbon dioxide: direct participation of H2O versus microsolvation

Thermochemical parameters of carbonic acid and the stationary points on the neutral hydration pathways of carbon dioxide, CO 2 + nH 2O --> H 2CO 3 + ( n - 1)H 2O, with n = 1, 2, 3, and 4, were calculated using geometries optimized at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level. Coupled-cluster theory (CCSD(T)) energies were extrapolated to the complete basis set limit in most cases and then used to evaluate heats of formation. A high energy barrier of approximately 50 kcal/mol was predicted for the addition of one water molecule to CO 2 ( n = 1). This barrier is lowered in cyclic H-bonded systems of CO 2 with water dimer and water trimer in which preassociation complexes are formed with binding energies of approximately 7 and 15 kcal/mol, respectively. For n = 2, a trimeric six-member cyclic transition state has an energy barrier of approximately 33 (gas phase) and a free energy barrier of approximately 31 (in a continuum solvent model of water at 298 K) kcal/mol, relative to the precomplex. For n = 3, two reactive pathways are possible with the first having all three water molecules involved in hydrogen transfer via an eight-member cycle, and in the second, the third water molecule is not directly involved in the hydrogen transfer but solvates the n = 2 transition state. In the gas phase, the two transition states have comparable energies of approximately 15 kcal/mol relative to separated reactants. The first path is favored over in aqueous solution by approximately 5 kcal/mol in free energy due to the formation of a structure resembling a (HCO 3 (-)/H 3OH 2O (+)) ion pair. Bulk solvation reduces the free energy barrier of the first path by approximately 10 kcal/mol for a free energy barrier of approximately 22 kcal/mol for the (CO 2 + 3H 2O) aq reaction. For n = 4, the transition state, in which a three-water chain takes part in the hydrogen transfer while the fourth water microsolvates the cluster, is energetically more favored than transition states incorporating two or four active water molecules. An energy barrier of approximately 20 (gas phase) and a free energy barrier of approximately 19 (in water) kcal/mol were derived for the CO 2 + 4H 2O reaction, and again formation of an ion pair is important. The calculated results confirm the crucial role of direct participation of three water molecules ( n = 3) in the eight-member cyclic TS for the CO 2 hydration reaction. Carbonic acid and its water complexes are consistently higher in energy (by approximately 6-7 kcal/mol) than the corresponding CO 2 complexes and can undergo more facile water-assisted dehydration processes.     

Aromatic dienophiles. 1. A theoretical study of an inverse-electron demand Diels-Alder reaction between 2-aminopyrrole and 1,3,5-triazine

This study is devoted to a detailed theoretical study of an inverse-electron demand Diels-Alder reaction (IDA) with 1,3,5-triazine as the diene and 2-aminopyrrole 1A(alpha) as the dienophile, which is a key step in a cascade reaction for the one-pot synthesis of purine analogues. Geometries were optimized with the B3LYP/6-31G* method and energies were evaluated with the MP2/6-311++G** method. This IDA reaction occurs through a stepwise mechanism, where the first step corresponds to the nucleophilic attack of 2-aminopyrrole to triazine to form a zwitterionic intermediate, which is in equilibrium with a neutral intermediate through a hydrogen transfer process, followed by a rate-determining ring-closure step. It is shown that the B3LYP method significantly overestimates the activation energy, whereas the MP2 method offers a reasonable activation barrier of 27.9 kcal/mol in the gas phase. The solvation effect has been studied by the PCM model. In DMSO, the calculated activation energy of the IDA reaction is decreased to 24.0 kcal/mol with a strong endothermicity of 17.4 kcal/mol due to the energy penalty of transforming two aromatic reactants into a nonaromatic IDA adduct. The possible stepwise [2+2] pathway is ruled out based on its higher activation and reaction energies than those of the [4+2] pathway. By comparing the IDA reactions of triazine to 2-aminopyrrole and pyrrole, we address two crucial roles of the alpha-amino substituent in lowering activation and reaction energies and controlling the reaction regiochemistry.     

Theoretical study of the mechanism and rate constant of the B + CO2 reaction

The different stationary points on the potential energy surface relative to the title reaction have been reinvestigated at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ level with relative energies computed at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level with B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ optimized geometries and by using the G3B3 composite method. Two entrance channels have been identified. The first one corresponds to boron addition at one of the oxygen atoms of the CO 2 molecule leading to trans-BOCO, which is found to be about 27 kcal/mol exothermic with a potential energy barrier of 16.4 kcal/mol (G3B3). The second channel, which has not been identified in previous theoretical works, corresponds to a direct insertion of the boron atom into a CO bond and leads to OBCO. The B + CO 2 --> OBCO step is found to be about 84 kcal/mol exothermic and needs to overcome a potential energy barrier of only 3.6 kcal/mol (G3B3). The rate constant at 300 K of the insertion step, calculated by using TST theory with G3B3 calculated activation energy value, is 5.4 10 (-14) cm (3) molecule (-1) s (-1), in very good agreement with the experimental data ((7.0 +/- 2.8) 10 (-14) cm (3) molecule (-1) s (-1), DiGiuseppe, T. G.; Davidovits, P. J. Chem. Phys. 1981, 74, 3287). The one corresponding to the addition process is found to be several orders of magnitude smaller because of a much higher potential energy barrier. The addition channel would not contribute to the title reaction even at high temperature. A modified Arrhenius equation has been fitted in the 300-1000 K temperature range, which might be useful for chemical models.     

Theoretical study on the reaction pathways of HFCO + H2O

For the reaction of methanoyl fluoride with water, both optimized structures and vibrational wavenumbers of reaction intermediates, transition structures and product complexes were calculated and characterized with theory at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level. Including a catalytic path and concerted and stepwise hydrolysis paths, possible reaction mechanisms were also investigated. The catalytic reaction of HFCO yielding HF and CO has the smallest activation barrier, 29.6 kcal/mol, whereas for the concerted hydrolysis 33.0 kcal/mol is required to overcome the barrier to form transoid HCOOH + HF, which is less than for the stepwise counterpart, 42.0 kcal/mol.     

Computational study on kinetics and mechanisms of unimolecular decomposition of succinic acid and its anhydride

The mechanisms and kinetics of unimolecular decomposition of succinic acid and its anhydride have been studied at the G2M(CC2) and microcanonical RRKM levels of theory. It was shown that the ZsgsZ conformer of succinic acid, with the Z-acid form and the gauche conformation around the central C-C bond, is its most stable conformer, whereas the lowest energy conformer with the E-acid form, ECGsZ, is only 3.1 kcal/mol higher in energy than the ZsgsZ. Three primary decomposition channels of succinic acid producing H2O + succinic anhydride with a barrier of 51.0 kcal/mol, H2O + OCC2H3COOH with a barrier of 75.7 kcal/mol and CO2 + C2H5COOH with a barrier of 71.9 kcal/mol were predicted. The dehydration process starting from the ECGCZ-conformer is found to be dominant, whereas the decarboxylation reaction starting from the ZsgsZ-conformer is only slightly less favorable. It was shown that the decomposition of succinic anhydride occurs via a concerted fragmentation mechanism (with a 69.6 kcal/mol barrier), leading to formation of CO + CO2 + C2H4 products. On the basis of the calculated potential energy surfaces of these reactions, the rate constants for unimolecular decomposition of succinic acid and its anhydride were predicted. In addition, the predicted rate constants for the unimolecular decomposition of C2H5COOH by decarboxylation (giving C2H6 + CO2) and dehydration (giving H3CCHCO + H2O) are in good agreement with available experimental data.     

Reactions of 1,3-cyclohexadiene with singlet oxygen. A theoretical study.

A thorough study of the reaction of singlet oxygen with 1,3-cyclohexadiene has been made at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) and CASPT2(12e,10o) levels. The initial addition reaction follows a stepwise diradical pathway to form cyclohexadiene endoperoxide with an activation barrier of 6.5 kcal/mol (standard level = CASPT2(12e,10o)/6-31G(d); geometries and zero-point corrections at B3LYP/6-31G(d)), which is consistent with an experimental value of 5.5 kcal/mol. However, as the enthalpy of the transition structure for the second step is lower than the diradical intermediate, the reaction might also be viewed as a nonsynchronous concerted reaction. In fact, the concertedness of the reaction is temperature dependent since entropy differences create a free energy barrier for the second step of 1.8 kcal/mol at 298 K. There are two ene reactions; one is a concerted mechanism (DeltaH(double dagger) = 8.8 kcal/mol) to 1-hydroperoxy-2,5-cyclohexadiene (5), while the other, which forms 1-hydroperoxy-2,4-cyclohexadiene (18), passes through the same diradical intermediate (9) as found on the pathway to endoperoxide. The major pathway from the endoperoxide is O-O bond cleavage (22.0 kcal/mol barrier) to form a 1,4-diradical (25), which is 13.9 kcal/mol less stable than the endoperoxide. From the diradical, two low-energy pathways exist, one to epoxyketone (29) and the other to the diepoxide (27), where both products are known to be formed experimentally with a product ratio sensitive to the nature of substitutents. A significantly higher activation barrier leads to C-C bond cleavage and direct formation of maleic aldehyde plus ethylene.     

Relative reactivity of peracids versus dioxiranes (DMDO and TFDO) in the epoxidation of alkenes. A combined experimental and theoretical analysis

Comparative analysis of the calculated gas-phase activation barriers (DeltaE++) for the epoxidation of ethylene with dimethyldioxirane (DMDO) and peroxyformic acid (PFA) [15.2 and 16.4 kcal/mol at QCISD(T)// QCISD/6-31+G(d,p)] and E-2-butene [14.3 and 13.2 kcal/mol at QCISD(T)/6-31G(d)//B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p)] suggests similar oxygen atom donor capacities for both oxidants. Competition experiments in CH(2)Cl(2) solvent reveal that DMDO reacts with cyclohexene much faster than peracetic acid/acetic acid under scrupulously dried conditions. The rate of DMDO epoxidation is catalyzed by acetic acid with a reduction in the classical activation barrier of 8 kcal/mol. In many cases, the observed increase in the rate for DMDO epoxidation in solution may be attributed to well-established solvent and hydrogen-bonding effects. This predicted epoxidative reactivity for DMDO is not consistent with what has generally been presumed for a highly strained cyclic peroxide. The strain energy (SE) of DMDO has been reassessed and its moderated value (about 11 kcal/mol) is now more consistent with its inherent gas-phase reactivity toward alkenes in the epoxidation reaction. The unusual thermodynamic stability of DMDO is largely a consequence of the combined geminal dimethyl- and dioxa-substitution effects and unusually strong C-H and C-CH(3) bonds. Methyl(trifluoromethyl)dioxirane (TFDO) exhibits much lower calculated activation barriers than DMDO in the epoxidation reaction (the average DeltaDeltaE++ values are about 7.5 kcal/mol). The rate increase relative to DMDO of approximately 10(5), while consistent with the higher strain energy for TFDO (SE approximately 19 kcal/mol) is attributed largely to the inductive effect of the CF(3) group. We have also examined the effect of alkene strain on the rate of epoxidation with PFA. The epoxidation barriers are only slightly higher for the strained alkenes cyclopropene (DeltaE++ = 14.5 kcal/mol) and cyclobutene (DeltaE++ = 13.7 kcal/mol) than for cyclopentene (DeltaE++ = 12.1 kcal/mol), reflecting the fact there is little relief of strain in the transition state. Alkenes strained by twist or pi-bond torsion do exhibit much lower activation barriers.     

Reaction mechanism of naphthyl radicals with molecular oxygen. 1. Theoretical study of the potential energy surface

Potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the reactions of 1- and 2-naphthyl radicals with molecular oxygen have been investigated at the G3(MP2,CC)//B3LYP/6-311G** level of theory. Both reactions are shown to be initiated by barrierless addition of O(2) to the respective radical sites of C(10)H(7). The end-on O(2) addition leading to 1- and 2-naphthylperoxy radicals exothermic by 45-46 kcal/mol is found to be more preferable thermodynamically than the side-on addition. At the subsequent reaction step, the chemically activated 1- and 2-C(10)H(7)OO adducts can eliminate an oxygen atom leading to the formation of 1- and 2-naphthoxy radical products, respectively, which in turn can undergo unimolecular decomposition producing indenyl radical + CO via the barriers of 57.8 and 48.3 kcal/mol and with total reaction endothermicities of 14.5 and 10.2 kcal/mol, respectively. Alternatively, the initial reaction adducts can feature an oxygen atom insertion into the attacked C(6) ring leading to bicyclic intermediates a10 and a10' (from 1-naphthyl + O(2)) or b10 and b10' (from 2-naphthyl + O(2)) composed from two fused six-member C(6) and seven-member C(6)O rings. Next, a10 and a10' are predicted to decompose to C(9)H(7) (indenyl) + CO(2), 1,2-C(10)H(6)O(2) (1,2-naphthoquinone) + H, and 1-C(9)H(7)O (1-benzopyranyl) + CO, whereas b10 and b10' would dissociate to C(9)H(7) (indenyl) + CO(2), 2-C(9)H(7)O (2-benzopyranyl) + CO, and 1,2-C(10)H(6)O(2) (1,2-naphthoquinone) + H. On the basis of this, the 1-naphthyl + O(2) reaction is concluded to form the following products (with the overall reaction energies given in parentheses): 1-naphthoxy + O (-15.5 kcal/mol), indenyl + CO(2) (-123.9 kcal/mol), 1-benzopyranyl + CO (-97.2 kcal/mol), and 1,2-naphthoquinone + H (-63.5 kcal/mol). The 2-naphthyl + O(2) reaction is predicted to produce 2-naphthoxy + O (-10.9 kcal/mol), indenyl + CO(2) (-123.7 kcal/mol), 2-benzopyranyl + CO (-90.7 kcal/mol), and 1,2-naphthoquinone + H (-63.2 kcal/mol). Simplified kinetic calculations using transition-state theory computed rate constants at the high-pressure limit indicate that the C(10)H(7)O + O product channels are favored at high temperatures, while the irreversible oxygen atom insertion first leading to the a10 and a10' or b10 and b10' intermediates and then to their various decomposition products is preferable at lower temperatures. Among the decomposition products, indenyl + CO(2) are always most favorable at lower temperatures, but the others, 1,2-C(10)H(6)O(2) (1,2-naphthoquinone) + H (from a10 and b10'), 1-C(9)H(7)O (1-benzopyranyl) + CO (from a10'), and 2-C(10)H(7)O (2-benzopyranyl) + O (from b10 and minor from b10'), may notably contribute or even become major products at higher temperatures.     

Kinetics of CN reactions with N2O and CO2

The rate constants for the reaction of CN with N₂O and CO₂ have been measured by the laser dissociation/laser-induced fluorescence (two-laser pump-probe) technique at temperatures between 300 and 740 K. The rate of CN + N₂O was measurable above 500 K, with a least-squares averaged rate constant, k = 10^−11.8±0.4 exp(−3560 ± 181/T) cm³/s. The rate of CN + CO₂, however, was not measurable even at the highest temperature reached in the present work, 743 K, with [CO₂] ⩽ 1.9 × 10¹⁸ molecules/cm³. In order to rationalize the observed kinetics, quantum mechanical calculations based on the BAC-MP4 method were performed. The results of these calculations reveal that the CN + N₂O reaction takes place via a stable adduct NCNNO with a small barrier of 1.1 kcal/mol. The adduct, which is more stable than the reactants by 13 kcal/mol, decomposes into the NCN + NO products with an activation energy of 20.0 kcal/mol. This latter process is thus the rate-controlling step in the CN + N₂O reaction. The CN + CO₂ reaction, on the other hand, occurs with a large barrier of 27.4 kcal/mol, producing an unstable adduct NCOCO which fragments into NCO + CO with a small barrier of 4.5 kcal/mol. The large overall activation energy for this process explains the negligibly low reactivity of the CN radical toward CO₂ below 1000 K. Least-squares analyses of the computed rate constants for these two CN reactions, which fit well with experimental data, give rise to for the temperature range 300–3000 K.     

193-nm photodissociation of acryloyl chloride to probe the unimolecular dissociation of CH2CHCO radicals and CH2CCO

The work presented here uses photofragment translational spectroscopy to investigate the primary and secondary dissociation channels of acryloyl chloride (CH2==CHCOCl) excited at 193 nm. Three primary channels were observed. Two C-Cl fission channels occur, one producing fragments with high kinetic recoil energies and the other producing fragments with low translational energies. These channels produced nascent CH2CHCO radicals with internal energies ranging from 23 to 66 kcal/mol for the high-translational-energy channel and from 50 to 68 kcal/mol for the low-translational-energy channel. We found that all nascent CH2CHCO radicals were unstable to CH2CH + CO formation, in agreement with the G3//B3LYP barrier height of 22.4 kcal/mol to within experimental and computational uncertainties. The third primary channel is HCl elimination. All of the nascent CH2CCO coproducts were found to have enough internal energy to dissociate, producing CH2C: + CO, in qualitative agreement with the G3//B3LYP barrier of 39.5 kcal/mol. We derive from the experimental results an upper limit of 23 +/- 3 kcal/mol for the zero-point-corrected barrier to the unimolecular dissociation of the CH2CHCO radical to form CH2CH + CO.     

Theoretical investigation of the reactivity of copper atoms with OCS: comparison with CS2 and CO2

The reaction mechanism of the Cu atom with OCS and CO2 has been studied by means of density functional method (B3LYP). The overall energetics has been refined at the CCSD(T) level. In the case of the Cu + OCS reaction, the CS insertion route is found much more favorable than the CO insertion one. This later reaction is direct and involves an activation energy of 83.3 kcal/mol and is endothermic by 50.0 kcal/mol at the CCSD(T) level. The insertion into the CS bond proceeds through the eta1s and eta2cs coordination species as intermediates and is found exothermic by about 20 kcal/mol. The highest transition structure along this route is only 11.5 kcal/mol higher in energy than the reactant's ground states. In the case of the Cu + CO2 reaction, the insertion route into the CO bond is also found direct but with a lower endothermicity (30.6 kcal/mol) and smaller activation energy (61.1 kcal/mol) than that into the CO bond of OCS. In all cases, the insertion mechanism proceeds simultaneously with electron transfer from the Cu atom to OCS (or CO2) molecule.     

Understanding the participation of quadricyclane as nucleophile in polar [2sigma + 2sigma + 2pi] cycloadditions toward electrophilic pi molecules

The formal [2sigma + 2sigma + 2pi] cycloaddition of quadricyclane, 1, with dimethyl azodicarboxylate, 2, in water has been studied using DFT methods at the B3LYP/6-31G** and MPWB1K/6-31G** levels. In the gas phase, the reaction of 1 with 2 has a two-stage mechanism with a large polar character and an activation barrier of 23.2 kcal/mol. Inclusion of water through a combined discrete-continuum model changes the mechanism to a two-step model where the first nucleophilic attack of 1 to 2 is the rate-limiting step with an activation barrier of 14.7 kcal/mol. Analysis of the electronic structure of the transition state structures points out the large zwitterionic character of these species. A DFT analysis of the global electrophilicity and nucleophilicity of the reagents provides a sound explanation about the participation of 1 as a nucleophile in these cycloadditions. This behavior is reinforced by a further study of the reaction of 1 with 1,1-dicyanoethylene.     

Ab initio and density function theory computational studies of the CH4 + H → CH3 + H2 reaction

The activation barrier for the CH₄ + H → CH₃ + H₂ reaction was evaluated with traditional ab initio and Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods. None of the applied ab initio and DFT methods was able to reproduce the experimental activation barrier of 11.0-12.0 kcal/mol. All ab initio methods (HF, MP2, MP3, MP4, QCISD, QCISD(T), G1, G2, and G2MP2) overestimated the activation energy. The best results were obtained with the G2 and G2MP2 ab initio computational approaches. The zero-point corrected energy was 14.4 kcal mol⁻¹. Some of the exchange DFT methods (HFB) computed energies which were similar to the highly accurate ab initio methods, while the B3LYP hybrid DFT methods underestimated the activation barrier by 3 kcal mol⁻¹. Gradient-corrected DFT methods underestimated the barrier even more. The gradient-corrected DFT method that incorporated the PW91 correlational functional even generated a negative reaction barrier. The suitability of some computational methods for accurately predicting the potential energy surface for this hydrogen radical abstraction reaction was discussed.