Theoretical study of the gas-phase Fe<Superscript>+</Superscript>-mediated oxidation of ethane by N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O

We report herein a comprehensive study of the gas-phase Fe⁺-mediated oxidation of ethane by N₂O on both the sextet and quartet potential energy surfaces (PESs) using density functional theory. The geometries and energies of all the relevant stationary points are located. Initial oxygen-atom transfer from N₂O to iron yields FeO⁺. Then, ethane oxidation by the nascent oxide involves C–H activation forming the key intermediate of (C₂H₅)Fe⁺(OH), which can either undergo C–O coupling to Fe⁺ + ethanol or experience β-H shift giving the energetically favorable product of FeC₂H₄ ⁺ + H₂O. Reaction of FeC₂H₄ ⁺ with another N₂O constitutes the third step of the oxidation. N₂O coordinates to FeC₂H₄ ⁺ and gets activated by the metal ion to yield (C₂H₄)Fe⁺O(N₂). After releasing N₂ through the direct H abstraction and/or cyclization pathways, the system would be oxidized to ethenol, acetaldehyde, and oxirane, regenerating Fe⁺. Oxidation to acetaldehyde along the cyclization –C–to–C hydrogen shift pathway is the most energetically favored channel.     

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.     

U+与CO2气相反应的密度泛函理论研究

运用密度泛函理论(DFT)中的B3LYP方法,U原子用含相对论有效原子实势(ECP)校正的基组(SDD),C、O原子采用6-311+G(d)基组,对气相中U+和CO2的反应进行了理论研究.通过研究二重和四重自旋态的反应势能面(PESs),优化得到了两条反应路径的反应物、中间体、过渡态和产物的结构.用"两态反应"(TSR)分析反应机理,结果表明体系的优先选择路径为高自旋态进入和低自旋态离开反应,发生在四重态和二重态的自旋多重度的改变使得整个反应系统能以一个低能反应途径进行.     

Theoretical study on the H<Subscript>2</Subscript>S activation by PtCH<Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript> in the gas phase

The reaction mechanism of the gas-phase PtCH₂ ⁺ with H₂S has been systematically investigated on the doublet and quartet potential energy surfaces at BPW91/6-311++G(2d, p)∪ SDD level. The Pt in PtCH₂ ⁺ prefers to attack S–H bond in H₂S. For PtCH₂ ⁺ + H₂S reaction, the potential energy surfaces (PESs), including three reaction pathways of hydrogen (including one and two hydrogen elimination) and methane elimination, have been explored and characterized. By contrast with hydrogen elimination, methane elimination reaction channel is energetically favorable, which is in good agreement with the experimental observation. The optimal S–H bond activation is the first step, followed by cleavage of Pt–C and Pt–S bond. About the path a and b, the lowering of activation barrier is mainly caused by the more stabilizing transition state interaction \(\varDelta E_{\text{int}}^{ \ne }\), which is the actual interaction energy between the deformed reactants in the transition state.     

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.     

Gas phase reactions of the ion C5H5Fe+: A kinetic study

The kinetics of gas phase reactions of the ion C₅H₅Fe⁺ with oxygen (Me₂CO, Me₂O, MeOH, iso-propanol, H₂O) and nitrogen (NH₃, NH₂Me, NHMe₂, NMe₃) donor ligands have been studied by ion trap mass spectrometry. While in the literature reactions of the ion Fe⁺, with the same ligands, the principal reaction path involves fragmentation in almost all the reactions of the ion C₅H₅Fe⁺, formation of adduct ions is the major reaction path. The reactivity of these two ions is briefly compared in the ion trap conditions. Kinetic data for the ion C₅H₅Fe⁺ indicate that the reactions show a large range of efficiency and a linear correlation is found between the log of the reaction rate constants and the ionization energy of ligands with the same donor atom.     

Mechanistic Aspects of the Holmium‐Mediated,Reciprocal Hydrogen/Sulfur Exchange in the Gas Phase: C6H5CH3+CH2S→C6H5CHS+CH4

The thermal reaction of [Ho(CH₂S)]⁺ with toluene giving rise to [C₆H₅CHSHo]⁺ and CH₄ has been investigated using Fourier‐transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT‐ICR) mass spectrometry complemented by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The high reactivity of [Ho(CH₂S)]⁺ which is in distinct contrast with the non‐reactivity of “bare” Ho⁺ has its origin in the presence of a carbon‐centered radical; the latter initiates hydrogen‐atom abstraction from the methyl group of toluene as the first step of a sequence of hydrogen and sulfur transfer mediated by cationic holmium.     

Theoretical study of the reaction of Cr+ with SCO in gas phase

To elucidate the mechanism of reaction M⁺ + SCO, the reaction of Cr⁺ + SCO has been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) with the popular hybrid functional, B3LYP, in conjunction with 6‐311+G* basis set on both the sextet and quartet potential energy surfaces (PESs). To obtain an accurate evaluation of the activation barrier and reaction energy, the coupled cluster single‐point calculations using the B3LYP structures is performed. The crossing points (CPs) of the different PESs have been localized with the approach suggested by Yoshizawa and colleagues. The involving potential energy curve‐crossing dramatically affects reaction mechanism. The present results show that the reaction mechanism is insertion‐elimination mechanism both along the C? S and C? O bond activation branches, but the C? S bond activation is much more favorable than the C? O bond activation in energy. All theoretical results not only support the existing conclusions inferred from early experiment study, but also complement the pathway and mechanism for this reaction. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Reactivity of molecular oxygen with aluminum clusters: Density functional and Ab Initio molecular dynamics simulation study

Dissociative adsorption of molecular oxygen (O₂) on aluminum (Al) clusters has attracted much interest in the field of surface science and catalysis, but theoretical predictions of the reactivity of this reaction in terms of barrier height is still challenging. In this regard, we systematically investigate the reactivity of O₂ with Al clusters using density functional theory (DFT) and atom‐centered density matrix propagation (ADMP) simulations. We also calculate potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the reaction between O₂ and Al clusters to estimate the barrier energy of this reaction. The M06‐2X functional gives the barrier energy in agreement with the one calculated by coupled cluster singles and doubles with perturbed triples (CCSD(T)) while the TPSSh functional significantly underestimates the barrier height. The ADMP simulation using the M06‐2X functional predicts the reactivity of O₂ with the Al cluster in agreement with the experimental findings, that is, singlet O₂ readily reacts with Al clusters but triplet O₂ is less reactive. We found that the ability of a DFT functional to describe the charge transfer appropriately is critical for calculating the barrier energy and the reactivity of the reaction of O₂ with Al clusters. The M06‐2X functional is relevant for investigating chemical reactions involving Al and O₂. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ab initio study on the reaction of Y+ + NH3 → Y+ NH + H2

The reaction of Y⁺ + NH₃ → Y⁺ NH + H₂ was theoretically investigated by ab initio MO methods. Two possible pathways (1–1 H₂ loss and 1–2 H₂ loss) on the singlet potential energy surface and reaction mechanism were examined and discussed. The singlet and triplet PESs of this reaction system were compared to confirm the correctness of spin conservation concepts. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Density functional theory of chemical reactivity indices in some ion—molecule reaction systems

Three isoelectronic reactions, proton transfer (PT ), hydrogen abstraction (HA ), and electron transfer (ET ), of NH⁺₃ with NH,₃ H₂O, and HF have been studied using ab initio molecular orbital calculations. For the reaction of NH⁺₃ + H₂O, the energy of the transition state (TS) is higher than that of the reactants. This is consistent with the experimental observation that the rate constant is less than the average dipole orientation (ADO) rate constant. It seems reasonable that the reaction rate for the reaction NH⁺₃ + H₂O would hardly depend on the v₂ mode of NH⁺₃ at least for low-lying excited states (E_int≤ 0.714 eV) of the v₂ mode, because the v₂ mode contributes mainly to the normal mode orthogonal to the reaction coordinate at the TS . This is consistent with experimental observation. A similar prediction can be made for the NH⁺₃ + HF reaction. The electron-transfer processes for the HA reactions have been examined in terms of the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC ). The order of reactivity with NH⁺₃ is NH₃ > H₂O > HF. It is found that the degree of the electron transfer and the reactivity are correlated with the absolute hardness (η) of NH₃, H₂O, and HF. This is in accord with the softness as the chemical reactivity index in the density functional theory. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Gas phase ion chemistry : : A comparative study of reaction of first row transition metal cations with 2-methyl propane

The gas phase reactivity of first row transition metal cations with 2-methylpropane was investigated using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. This reactivity is very variable depending on the nature of the metal : Ti⁺ and V⁺ give mainly the multiple collision product M(C₈H₁₄)⁺ whereas Cr⁺, Mn⁺, Cu⁺ and Zn⁺ (reported to be unreactive under other conditions) aaa I or 2 C₄H₁₀ units ; Fe⁺, Co⁺, Ni⁺ cleave CH and CC bonds of 2-methylpropane and react further.     

Ab initio excited states calculations of Kr 3 + , probing semi-empirical modelling

The accuracy of the diatomics-in-molecules (DIM) model for the krypton ionic trimer is examined in a series of ab initio calculations. In the C_2v symmetry, the ground states of irreducible representations B₂ and A₁ were calculated using partially spin restricted open-shell coupled cluster method with perturbative triple connections (RHF-RCCSD-T), the relativistic effective core potential (RECP) and an extended basis set of atomic orbitals. Internally contracted multireference configuration interaction method (icMRCI) with the extended and restricted basis set was used to generate the potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the nine electronic states of Kr ₃ ⁺ corresponding to Kr(¹S) + Kr(¹S) + Kr⁺(²P) dissociation limit in a wide interval of nuclear geometries. The overall agreement of the accurate ab initio PESs and the diatomics-in-molecules PESs confirms the quality of the DIM Hamiltonian for the Kr ₃ ⁺ clusters and justifies its use in dynamical and spectroscopic studies of the Kr _n ⁺ clusters. Inclusion of the spin–orbit coupling into the ab initio PESs through a semi-empirical scheme is proposed.     

Vibrational spectroscopy of intermediates in benzene-to-pheno conversion by FeO<Superscript>+</Superscript>

Gas-phase FeO⁺ can convert benzene to phenol under thermal conditions. Two key intermediates of this reaction are the [HO-Fe-C₆H₅]⁺ insertion intermediate and Fe⁺(C₆H₅OH) exit channel complex. These intermediates are selectively formed by reaction of laser ablated Fe⁺ with specific organic precursors and are cooled in a supersonic expansion. Vibrational spectra of the sextet and quartet states of the intermediates in the O-H stretching region are measured by infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD). For Fe⁺(C₆H₅OH), the O-H stretch is observed at 3598 cm⁻¹. Photodissociation primarily produces Fe⁺+C₆H₅OH; Fe⁺(C₆H₄)+H₂O is also observed. IRMPD of [HO-Fe-C₆H₅]⁺ mainly produces FeOH⁺+C₆H₅ and the O-H stretch spectrum consists of a peak at ∼3700 cm⁻¹ with a shoulder at ∼3670 cm⁻¹. Analysis of the experimental results is aided by comparison with hybrid density functional theory computed frequencies. Also, an improved potential energy surface for the FeO⁺+C₆H₆ reaction is developed based on CBS-QB3 calculations for the reactants, intermediates, transition states, and products.     

Fluorimetric Detection of Phosphates in Water Using a Disassembly Approach: A Comparison of FeIII-, ZnII-, MnII- and MnIII-salen Complexes

Details of the reaction sequence used for the fluorimetric detection of phosphates by disassembly of transition metal Schiff base complexes were investigated for [Fe^III(salen)(H₂O)]⁺, [Zn^II(salen)], [Mn^II(salen)(H₂O)₂], and [Mn^III(salen)(H₂O)]⁺. The reactivity of these compounds towards phosphorus oxoanions of differing charge, number of donor atoms and steric hindrance was detected by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy in both aprotic organic and aqueous media. Selectivity of [Fe^III(salen)(H₂O)]⁺ towards pyrophosphate over all other tested phosphorus-containing analytes was strongly supported. [Zn^II(salen)] showed a faster reactivity but was much less selective. In contrast, [Mn^III(salen)(H₂O)]⁺ proved to be more stable than the iron complex but generally showed little reactivity towards phosphorus oxoanions. The influence of the charge of the central atom was investigated using the Mn^II analogue [Mn^II(salen)(H₂O)₂]. As expected, the reduced charge resulted in a reactivity comparable to the Zn^II complex in organic solution but lead to hydrolysis of the complex in water. Finally, the reaction products of [Fe^III(salen)(H₂O)]⁺ with phosphates were characterized by IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, providing further insights into the reaction mechanism of the disassembly process.     

Thermodynamic aspect: kinetics of the reduction of dicyanobis(phen)iron(III) by acetylferrocene and methylferrocenemethanol

Protonation plays an important role in the redox reactions. We observed this leading role during the reduction of [Fe^III(phen)₂(CN)₂]⁺ by FcCOMe and FcCHOHMe. The kinetic data showed that the reaction(s) followed a complex kinetics due to the formation of protonated acetylferrocene (FcC⁺OHMe), and or, protonated α-methylferrocenemethanol (FcCHO⁺H₂Me) in aqueous dioxane (80% v/v). Our results helped us to conclude that the reactions were completed in three phases. An overall zeroth order was observed in the first phase of the reactions. In the second phase, the kinetic data showed an overall second order reaction. The third phase was a complex phase where the rate of redox reactions and the insolubility of the neutral product ([Fe^II(phen)₂(CN)₂]) competed with each other. We studied the effect of different factors to identify the reacting entities, which take part in the rate-determining step of each reaction in the second phase. Consequently, we determined the effects of selected factors upon the observed pseudo-first order rate constant(s) (k′ _obs) of each reaction. The value of k′ _obs increased upon addition of protons in the reaction mixture in case of FcCOMe, and it decreased during the oxidation of FcCHOHMe. Meanwhile, upon enhancing the ionic strength, we observed an increase in k′ _obs for FcCOMe, and no change in the value of k′ _obs during the reaction of FcCHOHMe. However, a decrease in k′ _obs was noticed upon increasing the dielectric constant of the reaction mixture when the reductant was FcCOMe, and no effect was observed in case of FcCHOHMe. Together, these results suggested oxidation of FcC⁺OHMe and FcCHOHMe in the slow-step, and FcCOMe and FcCHO⁺H₂Me during the fast-step. We refined our results by estimating the thermodynamic parameters of activation. The low values of activation energy and enthalpy of activation confirmed that the reduction of [Fe^III(phen)₂(CN)₂]⁺ hardly depends upon temperature when the reducing agent is FcCOMe. The outcomes justified that the rate of reaction depends upon the unsaturated FcC⁺OHMe. This intermediate species contain a ‘carbonium ion’, which is very reactive and energetic. We obtained comparatively high values of the activation energy and enthalpy of activation for the reaction between [Fe^III(phen)₂(CN)₂]⁺ and FcCHOHMe. The results show that FcCHOHMe is a saturated and stable compound that leads the slow-step and controls the rate of reaction.     

Theoretical study of the gas-phase ethane C–H and C–C bonds activation by bare niobium cation

The potential energy surfaces for the reaction of bare niobium cation with ethane, as a prototype of the C–H and C–C bonds activation in alkanes by transition metal cations, have been investigated employing the Density Functional Theory in its B3LYP formulation. All the minima and key transition states have been examined along both high- and low-spin surfaces. For both the C–H and C–C activation pathways the rate determining step is that corresponding to the insertion of the Nb cation into C–H and C–C bond, respectively. However, along the C–H activation reaction coordinate the barrier that is necessary to overcome is 0.13 eV below the energy of the ground state reactants asymptote, while in the C–C activation branch the corresponding barrier is about 0.58 eV above the energy of reactants in their ground state. The overall calculated reaction exothermicities are comparable. Since the spin of the ground state reactants is different from that of both H–Nb⁺–C₂H₅ and CH₃–Nb⁺–CH₃ insertion intermediates and products, spin multiplicity has to change along the reaction paths. All the obtained results, including Nb⁺–R binding energies for R fragments relevant to the examined PESs, have been compared with existing experimental and theoretical data.     

A theoretical ab initio SCF CI investigation of the Na + H2 reaction: The possibility of new photoreactive channels in the 4 eV region

We propose an exploratory study of the behavior of the first Rydberg states ²(4p¹) and ²(4s¹). Semiquantitative calculations (SCF + Limited CI) are used for describing the related PESs. Extended SCF CI (Moller-Plesset CIPSI algorithm) is used to characterize the important points of the reaction coordinate. The feasibility of chemical quenching yielding either NaH + H or NaH₂ starting from Rydberg states is discussed. It is shown that NaH₂ is not likely to be a stable species since the lowest minimum (linear²Σ_g⁺) is found 0.6 eV above the dissociative ²Σ_u⁺ species. Via a series of crossings a cascade from the Rydberg region to the reactive 1 ²B₂ surface is possible. Once the system is provided with the resulting extra energy, it is likely to yield chemical quenching (NaH + H) after passing through a triangular geometry. The crossing between the lowest 1²A₁ and 1²B₂ surfaces is therefore a key point for all the potential reactivity of the system.