On the role of dynamical barriers in barrierless reactions at low energies: S(1D) + H2

Reaction probabilities as a function of total angular momentum (opacity functions) and the resulting reaction cross sections for the collision of open shell S((1)D) atoms with para-hydrogen have been calculated in the kinetic energy range 0.09-10 meV (1-120 K). The quantum mechanical hyperspherical reactive scattering method and quasi-classical trajectory and statistical quasi-classical trajectory approaches were used. Two different ab initio potential energy surfaces (PESs) have been considered. The widely used reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) PES by Ho et al. [T.-S. Ho, T. Hollebeek, H. Rabitz, S. D. Chao, R. T. Skodje, A. S. Zyubin, and A. M. Mebel, J. Chem. Phys 116, 4124 (2002)] and the recently published accurate double many-body expansion (DMBE)/complete basis set (CBS) PES by Song and Varandas [Y. Z. Song and A. J. C. Varandas, J. Chem. Phys. 130, 134317 (2009)]. The calculations at low collision energies reveal very different dynamical behaviors on the two PESs. The reactivity on the RKHS PES is found to be considerably larger than that on the DMBE/CBS PES as a result of larger reaction probabilities at low total (here also orbital) angular momentum values and to opacity functions which extend to significantly larger total angular momentum values. The observed differences have their origin in two major distinct topographic features. Although both PESs are essentially barrierless for equilibrium H-H distances, when the H-H bond is compressed the DMBE/CBS PES gives rise to a dynamical barrier which limits the reactivity of the system. This barrier is completely absent in the RHKS PES. In addition, the latter PES exhibits a van der Walls well in the entrance channel which reduces the height of the centrifugal barrier and is able to support resonances. As a result, a significant larger cross section is found on this PES, with marked oscillations attributable to shape resonances and/or to the opening of partial wave contributions. The comparison of the results on both PESs is illustrative of the wealth of the dynamics at low collision energy. It is also illuminating about the difficulties encountered in modeling an all-purpose global potential energy surface.     

化学反应的高精度从头算势能面

势能面是化学反应动力学研究的基础。近年来随着理论方法的发展与计算技术的进步,不但含三、四个原子反应体系的电子基态势能面的构建精度进一步提高,一些反应体系的多电子态耦合势能面的构建和含六个原子以上反应体系的高维从头算势能面的构建也取得了重要进展。本文结合若干典型体系势能面的构建工作,主要介绍了高精度电子基态势能面,包括Renner-Teller、旋轨耦合等非绝热效应的耦合势能面以及高维势能面方面的研究进展。     

Barrier Height Effect on Cl+H2(D2) Reaction

Three-dimensional time-dependent quantum wave packet calculation was performed to study the reaction dynamics of Cl+H2(D2) on two potential energy surfaces (CW PESs). The first CW PES is with spin-orbit correction; the second is without spin-orbit correction. The integral cross-section and reaction probability as a function of collision energy are calculated in the collision energy range of 0.1 eV to 1.4 eV. For reaction of Cl with D2, the reaction section with spin-orbit correction has a shift toward the high energy because the barrier height increases. As for the reaction of Cl with H2 at low collision energy, it is more reactive on the PES with spin-orbit correction than on the low barrier height PES without spin-orbit correction, due to the tunnel effect for the reaction of the Cl with H2. When the collision energy is higher than 0.7 eV, the reactivity on the low barrier height PES is larger than that on the high barrier height PES. It is believed that the barrier height plays a very important role in the reactivity of Cl with (H2, D2). For the Cl+H2 reaction the barrier width is also very important because of the tunneling effect.     

Application of the modified Shepard interpolation method to the determination of the potential energy surface for a molecule-surface reaction: H2 + Pt(111)

We have used a modified Shepard (MS) interpolation method, initially developed for gas phase reactions, to build a potential energy surface (PES) for studying the dissociative chemisorption of H2 on Pt(111). The aim was to study the efficiency and the accuracy of this interpolation method for an activated multidimensional molecule-surface reactive problem. The strategy used is based on previous applications of the MS method to gas phase reactions, but modified to take into account special features of molecule-surface reactions, like the presence of many similar reaction pathways which vary only slightly with surface site. The efficiency of the interpolation method was tested by using an already existing PES to provide the input data required for the construction of the new PES. The construction of the new PES required half as many ab initio data points as the construction of the old PES, and the comparison of the two PESs shows that the method is able to reproduce with good accuracy the most important features of the H2 + Pt(111) interaction potential. Finally, accuracy tests were done by comparing the results of dynamics simulations using the two different PESs. The good agreement obtained for reaction probabilities and probabilities for rotationally and diffractionally inelastic scattering shows clearly that the MS interpolation method can be used efficiently to yield accurate PESs for activated molecule-surface reactions.     

High-dimensional ab initio potential energy surfaces for reaction dynamics calculations

There has been great progress in the development of potential energy surfaces (PESs) for reaction dynamics that are fits to ab initio energies. The fitting techniques described here explicitly represent the invariance of the PES with respect to all permutations of like atoms. A review of a subset of dynamics calculations using such PESs (currently 16 such PESs exist) is then given. Bimolecular reactions of current interest to the community, namely, H + CH(4) and F + CH(4), are focused on. Unimolecular reactions are then reviewed, with a focus on the photodissociation dynamics of H(2)CO and CH(3)CHO, where so-called "roaming" pathways have been discovered. The challenges for electronically non-adiabatic reactions, and associated PESs, are presented with a focus on the OH* + H(2) reaction. Finally, some thoughts on future directions and challenges are given.     

N(4S)+ NO(X2Π)→N2(X3Σg-)+O(3P) 反应的立体动力学研究

采用准经典轨线方法研究了在不同碰撞能下，碰撞反应N(4S)+NO(X2Π)→ N2(X3Σg- )+O(3P)在两个最低势能面3A 和 3A'上产物与反应物之间的矢量相关. 结果表明，对于不同的碰撞能，在两个势能面上反应产物的转动取向展示了不同的特征和趋势. 随着碰撞能的增加，发生在3A 势能面上的反应主要受外平面机理支配，而发生在 3A' 势能面上的反应倾向于受内平面机理支配. 这些差异来自于两个势能面的不同构型.     

Dynamics of the O(3P) + CH4 → OH + CH3 reaction is similar to that of a triatomic reaction

The O((3)P) + CH(4) reaction has been investigated using the quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) method and an ab initio pseudotriatomic potential energy surface (PES). This has been mainly motivated by very recent experiments which support the reliability of the triatomic modeling even at high collision energy ( = 64 kcal mol(-1)). The QCT results agree rather well with the experiments (translational and angular distributions of products); i.e., the ab initio pseudotriatomic modeling "captures" the essence of the reaction dynamics, although the PES was not optimized for high E(col). Furthermore, similar experiments on the O((3)P) + CD(4) reaction at moderate E(col) (12.49 kcal mol(-1)) have also been of a large interest here and, under these softer reaction conditions, the QCT method leads to results which are almost in quantitative agreement with experiments. The utility of the ab initio pseudotriatomic modeling has also been recognized for other analogous systems (X + CH(4)) but with very different PESs.     

Unraveling the dynamics of the C(3P,1D) + C2H2 reactions by the crossed molecular beam scattering technique

A detailed investigation of the dynamics of the reactions of ground- and excited-state carbon atoms, C(3P) and C(1D), with acetylene is reported over a wide collision energy range (3.6-49.1 kJ mol-1) using the crossed molecular beam (CMB) scattering technique with electron ionization mass spectrometric detection and time-of-flight (TOF) analysis. We have exploited the capability of (a) generating continuous intense supersonic beams of C(3P, 1D), (b) crossing the two reactant beams at different intersection angles (45, 90, and 135 degrees ) to attain a wide range of collision energies, and (c) tuning the energy of the ionizing electrons to low values (soft ionization) to suppress interferences from dissociative ionization processes. From angular and TOF distribution measurements of products at m/z=37 and 36, the primary reaction products of the C(3P) and C(1D) reactions with C2H2 have been identified to be cyclic (c)-C3H + H, linear (l)-C3H + H, and C3 + H2. From the data analysis, product angular and translational energy distributions in the center-of-mass (CM) system for both the linear and cyclic C3H isomers as well as the C3 product from C(3P) and for l/c-C3H and C3 from C(1D) have been derived as a function of collision energy from 3.6 to 49.1 kJ mol-1. The cyclic/linear C3H ratio and the C3/(C3 + c/l-C3H) branching ratios for the C(3P) reaction have been determined as a function of collision energy. The present findings have been compared with those from previous CMB studies using pulsed beams; here, a marked contrast is noted in the CM angular distributions for both C3H- and C3-forming channels from C(3P) and their trend with collision energy. Consequently, the interpretation of the reaction dynamics derived in the present work contradicts that previously proposed from the pulsed CMB studies. The results have been discussed in the light of the available theoretical information on the relevant triplet and singlet C3H2 ab initio potential energy surfaces (PESs). In particular, the branching ratios for the C(3P) + C2H2 reaction have been compared with the available theoretical predictions (approximate quantum scattering calculations and quasiclassical trajectory calculations on ab initio triplet PESs and, very recent, statistical calculations on ab initio triplet PESs as well as on ab initio triplet/singlet PESs including nonadiabatic effects, that is, intersystem crossing). While the experimental branching ratios have been corroborated by the statistical predictions, strong disagreement has been found with the results of the dynamical calculations. The astrophysical implications of the present results have been noted.     

Theoretical study of stereodynamics for the O(D) + D2 → OD + D reaction

A quasi-classical trajectory method (QCT) running on the ¹A′ and ¹A″ potential energy surfaces (PESs) given by Dobbyn and Knowles [A.J. Dobbyn, P.J. Knowles, Mol. Phys. 91 (1997) 1107] has been employed to study the dynamical stereochemistry of the chemical reaction O(¹D) + D₂ → OD + D, especially the vector correlations between products and reagents. The results indicate that product rotational angular momentum j′ is not only aligned, but also oriented along the direction perpendicular to the scattering plane on both PESs, with different rotational polarization behaviors of product OD for the two PESs and for different collision energies. Calculations show that the alignment effect of products become weaker with an increase of the collision energy on the ¹A′ PES but is not sensitive to the collision energy on the ¹A″ PES. When the collision energy increases, the product OD mainly tends to the forward scattering on the ¹A′ PES and displays a switch from the backward scattering to the forward one on the ¹A″ PES. These differences are probably attributed to the different characteristics of the two PESs.     

Intermolecular acetaldehyde and dimethoxymethane formation mechanisms via ethenol and methoxymethylene precursors in reactions of atomic carbon with methanol: a computational study

Atomic carbon, a reactive intermediate abundant in the interstellar medium (ISM) can participate in various energetically demanding reactions in its extremely long living (69 min) first excited singlet state ((1)D). Several studies on reactions of oxygen containing species with carbon atoms have been reported, however mechanistic details of the title reaction remain obscure. We report here quantum chemical studies on reactions of methanol with (3)P and (1)D carbon atoms at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level of theory, with which experimentally well known facile CO production, intermolecular acetaldehyde formation, and intermolecular dimethoxymethane production mechanisms are explained. Energetics of the fragmentation, O-H insertion, C-H insertion, and O-C insertion channels on the triplet and singlet surfaces are studied. The CO production mechanism by C ((1)D) is identified as an oxygen abstraction and a triplet PES seems non-operative. Presenting novel features for the intermolecular reaction channels, current findings may be applicable to C + ROR reactions.     

A global potential energy surface and time‐dependent quantum wave packet calculation of Au + H2 reaction

A global potential energy surface (PES) corresponding to the ground state of AuH₂ system has been constructed based on 22 853 ab initio energies calculated by the multireference configuration interaction method with a Davidson correction. The neural network method is used to fit the PES, and the root mean square error is only 1.87 meV. The topographical features of the novel global PES are compared with previous PES which is constructed by Zanchet et al. (Zanchet PES). The global minimum energy reaction paths on the two PESs both have a well and a barrier. Relative to the Au + H₂ reactants, the energy of well is 0.316 eV on the new PES, which is 0.421 eV deeper than Zanchet PES. The calculation of Au(²S) + H₂(X¹Σ_g⁺) → AuH(X¹Σ⁺) + H(²S) dynamical reaction is carried out on new PES, by the time‐dependent quantum wave packet method (TDWP) with second order split operator. The reaction probabilities, integral cross‐sections (ICSs) and differential cross‐sections are obtained from the dynamics calculation. The threshold in the reaction is about 1.46 eV, which is 0.07 eV smaller than Zanchet PES due to the different endothermic energies on the two PESs. At low collision energy (<2.3 eV), the total ICS is larger than the result obtained on Zanchet PES, which can be attributed to the difference of the wells and endothermic energies.     

Precise Design of Phosphorescent Molecular Butterflies with Tunable Photoinduced Structural Change and Dual Emission

Photoinduced structural change (PSC) is a fundamental excited‐state dynamic process in chemical and biological systems. However, precise control of PSC processes is very challenging, owing to the lack of guidelines for designing excited‐state potential energy surfaces (PESs). A series of rationally designed butterfly‐like phosphorescent binuclear platinum complexes that undergo controlled PSC by Pt–Pt distance shortening and exhibit tunable dual (greenish‐blue and red) emission are herein reported. Based on the Bell–Evans–Polanyi principle, it is demonstrated how the energy barrier of the PSC, which can be described as a chemical‐reaction‐like process between the two energy minima on the first triplet excited‐state PES, can be controlled by synthetic means. These results reveal a simple method to engineer the dual emission of molecular systems by manipulating PES to control PSC.     

Optimizing the performance of the multiconfiguration molecular mechanics method

Multiconfiguration molecular mechanics (MCMM) is a general algorithm for constructing potential energy surfaces for reactive systems (Kim, Y.; Corchado, J. C.; Villà, J.; Xing, J.; Truhlar, D. G. J. Chem. Phys. 2000, 112, 2718). This paper illustrates how the performance of the MCMM method can be improved by adopting improved molecular mechanics parameters. We carry out calculations of reaction rate constants using variational transition state theory with optimized multidimensional tunneling on the MCMM PESs for three hydrogen transfer reactions, and we compare the results to direct dynamics. We find that the MCMM method with as little as one electronic structure Hessian can describe the dynamically important regions of the ground-electronic state PES, including the corner-cutting-tunneling region of the reaction swath, with practical accuracy.     

Exploring the accuracy level of new potential energy surfaces for the F + HD reactions: from exact quantum rate constants to the state-to-state reaction dynamics

Exact quantum reactive scattering calculations in the collision energy range 1-250 meV have been carried out for both the isotopic product channels of the title system. The dynamical studies compares an ab initio potential energy surface (PES) recently appeared in the literature (J. Chem. Phys., 2008, 129, 011103) with other phenomenological PESs. Vibrational branching ratios, cross sections and rate constants are presented and compared with molecular beam scattering experiments as well as with chemical kinetics data. In particular, the agreement of the vibrational branching ratios with experimental measurements is improved with respect to previous studies on other PESs, mainly because of the presence of a broad peak in the HF(v' = 3) integral cross section completely absent in the previous simulations. This feature, observed by molecular beam experiments, is the fingerprint of a new reaction mechanism operative in the dynamics described by the new PES. A conjecture for its origin, able to explain many of its characteristic aspects, is analyzed and discussed.     

Complex excited dynamics around a plateau on a retinal-like potential surface: chaos, multi-exponential decays and quantum/classical differences

We investigate the classical and quantum dynamics on the plateau of an excited potential energy surface (PES) whose shape mimics the PES driving the photoisomerization of the protonated Schiff base of retinal (PSBR). We adopt a two-dimensional analytical model of the PES, and perform an extended study by varying the potential parameters, revealing a scenario whose interest goes beyond the relevance for the specific case of PSBR. In fact, we document cases with net differences among classical and quantum dynamical predictions, for barrierless PESs. Classical trajectories released on the PES display the signature of chaos and partial trapping on the plateau, whose origin is purely dynamical, since no barrier exists. At variance, on the same barrierless PESs, quantum dynamics does not predict any trapping, always showing a complete depletion of the excited population according to an approximate mono-exponential law. The plateau on the PES promotes complex and unusual dynamical features, and it is sufficient to introduce a very small barrier along the cis–trans torsional mode to give rise to a multi-exponential decay, also at quantum level. Our results are of general interest because plateaux are often found in the excited states of conjugated chromophores.