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.     

Lack of salt effect on the kinetics of the reaction SO2−4 + H3O+ → HSO−4 + H2O

It is found that the broadening of the 1100-cm⁻¹ line of SO⁻²₄, caused by increasing [H₃O⁺], is unaffected by addition of 4 M LiCl, NaBr, KCl and NH₄Cl. This finding is in line with the lack of influence of NaCl reported earlier. The significance of these findings, in terms of the reaction mechanism, is discussed.     

Potential energy surface and reaction mechanism for the ion-molecule reaction: CH4 + CH4+ → CH3 + CH5+

The potential energy surface for the CH₄+CH₄⁺ reaction system has been calculated with the ab initio method. A stable complex, responsible for the complex mechanism, has been found but is hard to reach. Each of the two direct mechanisms, hydrogen transfer and proton transfer, has been shown to consist of a combination of electron transfer and hydrogen atom transfer processes.     

Kinetic isotope effects in oxidation reaction of C2H4 and C2D4 by p-benzoquinone in the Pd2+—HClO4—CH3CN—H2O system

Russian Chemical Bulletin - Kinetic isotope effects (KIE) have been measured for oxidation reactions of ethylene by p-benzoquinone in Pd2+—MeCN—H2O—HClO4 system. Under the...     

Oxidation of the 1-naphthyl radical C10H7• with oxygen: Thermochemistry,kinetics, and possible reaction pathways

The reaction of the 1-naphthyl radical C₁₀H₇• (A2•) with molecular (³O₂) and atomic oxygen, as part of the oxidation reactions of naphthalene, is examined using ab-initio and DFT quantum chemistry calculations. The study focuses on pathways that produce the intermediate final products CO, phenyl and C₂H₂, which may constitute a repetitive reaction sequence for the successive diminution of six-membered rings also in larger polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The primary attack of ³O₂ on the 1-naphthyl radical leads to a peroxy radical C₁₀H₇OO• (A2OO•), which undergoes further propagation and/or chain branching reactions. The thermochemistry of intermediates and transition state structures is investigated as well as the identification of all plausible reaction pathways for the A2• + O₂ / A2• + O systems. Structures and enthalpies of formation for the involved species are reported along with transition state barriers and reaction pathways. Standard enthalpies of formation are calculated using ab initio (CBS-QB3) and DFT calculations (B3LYP, M06, APFD). The reaction of A2• with ³O₂ opens six main consecutive reaction channels with new ones not currently considered in oxidation mechanisms. The reaction paths comprise important exothermic chain branching reactions and the formation of unsaturated oxygenated hydrocarbon intermediates. The primary attack of ³O₂ at the A2• radical has a well depth of some 50 kcal mol⁻¹ while the six consecutive channels exhibit energy barriers below the energy of the A2• radical. The kinetic parameters of each path are determined using chemical activation analysis based on the canonical transition state theory calculations. The investigated reactions could serve as part of a comprehensive mechanism for the oxidation of naphthalene. The principal result from this study is that the consecutive reactions of the A2• radical, viz. the channels conducting to a phenyl radical C₆H₅•, CO₂, CO (which oxidized to CO₂) and C₂H₂ are by orders of magnitude faster than the activation of naphthalene by oxygen (A2 + O₂ → A2• + HO₂).     

Reaction products and kinetics of the reaction of NO2 with γ-Fe2O3

The reaction of NO(2) with Fe(2)O(3) has relevance for both atmospheric chemistry and catalysis. Most studies have focused on hematite, α-Fe(2)O(3), as it is the thermodynamic stable state of iron oxide; however, other forms of Fe(2)O(3) naturally occur and may have different chemistries. In this study, we have investigated the reaction products and kinetics for NO(2) reacting with γ-Fe(2)O(3) powder using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and compared the results to those of previous studies of NO(2) reacting with α-Fe(2)O(3). Both α- and γ-Fe(2)O(3) produce surface-bound nitrate at the pressures examined in this study (24-212 mTorr); surface-bound nitrite products are observed at all pressures for γ-Fe(2)O(3) whereas nitrite was only observed on α-Fe(2)O(3) at lower pressures. Surface-bound NO(+) and Fe-NO products are observed on γ-Fe(2)O(3), which have not been observed with α-Fe(2)O(3). The reaction kinetics show a first-order dependence on NO(2) pressure and this is used to support the hypothesis of unimolecular reaction of adsorbed NO(2) with the γ-Fe(2)O(3) surface as the slow step in the reaction mechanism. The difference in product formation between NO(2) reacting with γ-Fe(2)O(3) and previous studies of α-Fe(2)O(3) illustrate the fact that care must be taken in generalizing reactivity of different polymorphs.     

How do dimethyl oxalate ions CH3O-C(=O)-C(=O)-OCH 3 ·+ break in half? Loss of CH 3 · + CO2 versus CH3O-C-O·

The interesting unimolecular dissociation chemistry of dimethyl oxalate (DMO) ions, CH₃O-C(=O)-C(=O)-OCH ₃ ^·+ , has been studied by vacuum ultraviolet photoionization and tandem mass spectrometry based experiments. The measured appearance energy (AE) for the generation of CH₃O-C=O⁺ (10. 5 eV) is not compatible with a simple bond cleavage involving the cogeneration of the radical CH₃O-C=O^· whose calculated AE is 11 kcal/mol higher. However, because the CH₃O-C=O^· radical is thermodynamically less stable than its dissociation products CH₃ ^· and CO₂, by 19 kcal/mol, a two-step dissociation of ionized DMO into CH₃O-C=O⁺ + CH ₃ ^· + CO₂ is energetically feasible. Collision induced dissociative ionization experiments clearly show that low energy DMO ions dissociate into CH₃ ^· + CO₂ without the intermediacy of CH₃O-C=O^·. Experiments using a charged collision chamber further indicate that CO₂ is released first, followed by loss of CH₃ ^· and not vice versa and a mechanism is proposed. The measured AE, which we assign to the two-step process, is 8 kcal/mol higher than the calculated value. This could be due to a competitive shift caused by a prominent low energy decarbonylation reaction yielding the hydrogen bridged radical cation CH₂=O … H … O=C-OCH₃ ^·+. However, from metastable ion observations and AE measurements on deuterium labeled DMO ions, it follows that there is no competitive shift and that the elevated AE for the two-step process corresponds to the barrier for the first step, loss of CO₂. Finally, neutralization-reionization experiments on ionized DMO and CH₃O-C=O⁺ provide evidence for the existence of CH₃O-C=O^· as a kinetically stable radical.     

Reaction kinetics and thermochemistry of the chemically activated and stabilized primary ethyl radical of methyl ethyl sulfide,CH3SCH2CH2•, with O2 to CH3SCH2CH2OO•

Oxidation of methyl ethyl sulfide (CH₃SCH₂CH₃, methylthioethane, MES) under atmospheric and combustion conditions is initiated by hydroxyl radicals, MES radicals, generated after loss of a H atom via OH abstraction, will further react with O₂ to form chemically activated and stabilized peroxyl radical adducts. The kinetics of the chemically activated reaction between the CH₃SCH₂CH₂• radical and molecular oxygen are analyzed using quantum Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel theory for k(E) with master equation analysis and a modified strong-collision approach to account for further reactions and collisional deactivation. Thermodynamic properties of reactants, products, and transition states are determined by the B3LYP/6-31+G(2d,p), M062X/6-311+G(2d,p), ωB97XD/6-311+G(2d,p) density functional theory, and CBS-QB3, G3MP2B3, and G4 composite methods. The reaction of CH₃SCH₂CH₂• with O₂ forms an energized peroxy adduct CH₃SCH₂CH₂OO• with a calculated well depth of 34.1 kcal mol⁻¹ at the CBS-QB3 level of theory. Thermochemical properties of reactants, transition states, and products obtained under CBS-QB3 level are used for calculation of kinetic parameters. Reaction enthalpies are compared between the methods. The temperature and pressure-dependent rate coefficients for both the chemically activated reactions of the energized adduct and the thermally activated reactions of the stabilized adducts are presented. Stabilization and isomerization of the CH₃SCH₂CH₂OO• adduct are important under high pressure and low temperature. At higher temperatures and atmospheric pressure, the chemically activated peroxy adduct reacts to new products before stabilization. Addition of the peroxyl oxygen radical to the sulfur atom followed by sulfur-oxygen double bond formation and elimination of the methyl radical to form S(= O)CCO• + CH₃ (branching) is a potentially important new pathway for other alkyl-sulfide peroxy radical systems under thermal or combustion conditions.     

Quasi-classical trajectory study of the dynamics of the Cl + CH4→ HCl + CH3 reaction

We present an on-the-fly classical trajectory study of the Cl + CH(4)→ HCl + CH(3) reaction using a specific reaction parameter (SRP) AM1 Hamiltonian that was previously optimized for the Cl + ethane reaction [S. J. Greaves et al., J. Phys Chem A, 2008, 112, 9387]. The SRP-AM1 Hamiltonian is shown to be a good model for the potential energy surface of the title reaction. Calculated differential cross sections, obtained from trajectories propagated with the SRP-AM1 Hamiltonian compare favourably with experimental results for this system. Analysis of the vibrational modes of the methyl radical shows different scattering distributions for ground and vibrationally excited products.     

Thermochemistry and reaction paths in the oxidation reaction of benzoyl radical: C6H5C•(═O)

Alkyl substituted aromatics are present in fuels and in the environment because they are major intermediates in the oxidation or combustion of gasoline, jet, and other engine fuels. The major reaction pathways for oxidation of this class of molecules is through loss of a benzyl hydrogen atom on the alkyl group via abstraction reactions. One of the major intermediates in the combustion and atmospheric oxidation of the benzyl radicals is benzaldehyde, which rapidly loses the weakly bound aldehydic hydrogen to form a resonance stabilized benzoyl radical (C6H5C(?)═O). A detailed study of the thermochemistry of intermediates and the oxidation reaction paths of the benzoyl radical with dioxygen is presented in this study. Structures and enthalpies of formation for important stable species, intermediate radicals, and transition state structures resulting from the benzoyl radical +O2 association reaction are reported along with reaction paths and barriers. Enthalpies, ΔfH298(0), are calculated using ab initio (G3MP2B3) and density functional (DFT at B3LYP/6-311G(d,p)) calculations, group additivity (GA), and literature data. Bond energies on the benzoyl and benzoyl-peroxy systems are also reported and compared to hydrocarbon systems. The reaction of benzoyl with O2 has a number of low energy reaction channels that are not currently considered in either atmospheric chemistry or combustion models. The reaction paths include exothermic, chain branching reactions to a number of unsaturated oxygenated hydrocarbon intermediates along with formation of CO2. The initial reaction of the C6H5C(?)═O radical with O2 forms a chemically activated benzoyl peroxy radical with 37 kcal mol(-1) internal energy; this is significantly more energy than the 21 kcal mol(-1) involved in the benzyl or allyl + O2 systems. This deeper well results in a number of chemical activation reaction paths, leading to highly exothermic reactions to phenoxy radical + CO2 products.     

Theoretical study for the CH3C(O)(CH2)2OH + OH reaction

The mechanisms and the kinetics of the OH radical reaction with 4-hydroxy-2-butanone (4H2B) are investigated theoretically. Five hydrogen-abstraction channels are identified for the title reaction. The first potential energy profile of the title reaction is presented. The rate constants for each reaction channel are evaluated using transition state theory method in the temperature range of 200–1,000 K. Branching ratio of the title reaction is calculated and plotted. It is shown that the “in-plane hydrogen abstraction” from the methoxy end is the dominant channel, and the other hydrogen-abstraction channels play the minor role. The comparison between theoretical and experimental results is discussed. The three-parameter Arrhenius expression for the rate constants is also provided.     

Gamma irradiation effects on the kinetics of the solid-state reaction in the system MgO·Fe2O3

The kinetics of magnesium ferrite spinel formation reaction was studied in powdered mixtures of MgO and Fe₂O₃ with different mole ratios. The formation reaction was followed by a titrimetric method and the results were discussed in terms of Jander's diffusion equation. The effects of gamma irradiation of the mixed powdered oxides on the reaction rate constants and the activation energies were determined and discussed.     

Theoretical studies on the reaction path and dynamics of the reaction CH_3+H_2O→CH_4+OH

The reaction path, the dynamical properties along the reaction path and CVT rate constants are computed by the ab initio MO method, the reaction path Hamiltonian theory and the variational transition state theory. The results show that the effect of the electron correlation energy on activation barrier is large, the recrossing and tunneling effects exist in the reaction.     

Mechanistic and kinetic study of CF3CH═CH2 + OH reaction

The potential energy surfaces of the CF(3)CH═CH(2) + OH reaction have been investigated at the BMC-CCSD level based on the geometric parameters optimized at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level. Various possible H (or F)-abstraction and addition/elimination pathways are considered. Temperature- and pressure-dependent rate constants have been determined using Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus theory with tunneling correction. It is shown that IM1 (CF(3)CHCH(2)OH) and IM2 (CF(3)CHOHCH(2)) formed by collisional stabilization are major products at 100 Torr pressure of Ar and in the temperature range of T < 700 K (at P = 700 Torr with N(2) as bath gas, T ≤ 900 K), whereas CH(2)═CHOH and CF(3) produced by the addition/elimination pathway are the dominant end products at 700-2000 K. The production of CF(3)CHCH and CF(3)CCH(2) produced by hydrogen abstractions become important at T ≥ 2000 K. The calculated results are in good agreement with available experimental data. The present theoretical study is helpful for the understanding the characteristics of the reaction of CF(3)CH═CH(2) + OH.     

Crossed-beams studies of the dynamics of the H-atom abstraction reaction, O(3P) + CH4 → OH + CH3, at hyperthermal collision energies

The H-atom abstraction reaction, O((3)P) + CH(4) → OH + CH(3), has been studied at a hyperthermal collision energy of 64 kcal mol(-1) by two crossed-molecular-beams techniques. The OH products were detected with a rotatable mass spectrometer employing electron-impact ionization, and the CH(3) products were detected with the combination of resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) and time-sliced ion velocity-map imaging. The OH products are mainly formed through a stripping mechanism, in which the reagent O atom approaches the CH(4) molecule at large impact parameters and the OH product is scattered in the forward direction: roughly the same direction as the reagent O atoms. Most of the available energy is partitioned into product translation. The dominance of the stripping mechanism is a unique feature of such H-atom abstraction reactions at hyperthermal collision energies. In the hyperthermal reaction of O((3)P) with CH(4), the H-atom abstraction reaction pathway accounts for 70% of the reactive collisions, while the H-atom elimination pathway to produce OCH(3) + H accounts for the other 30%.     

Ab initio potential energy surface and quantum dynamics for the H + CH4 → H2 + CH3 reaction

A new full-dimensional potential energy surface for the title reaction has been constructed using the modified Shepard interpolation scheme. Energies and derivatives were calculated using the UCCSD(T) method with aug-cc-pVTZ and 6-311++G(3df,2pd) basis sets, respectively. A total number of 30,000 data points were selected from a huge number of molecular configurations sampled by trajectory method. Quantum dynamical calculations showed that the potential energy surface is well converged for the number of data points for collision energy up to 2.5 eV. Total reaction probabilities and integral cross sections were calculated on the present surface, as well as on the ZBB3 and EG-2008 surfaces for the title reaction. Satisfactory agreements were achieved between the present and the ZBB3 potential energy surfaces, indicating we are approaching the final stage to obtain a global potential energy surface of quantitative accuracy for this benchmark polyatomic system. Our calculations also showed that the EG-2008 surface is less accurate than the present and ZBB3 surfaces, particularly in high energy region.     

A photoionization study of the ion-neutral complexes CH3CH +CH 3 · CH2CH3] and CH3CH2CH+CH 3 · CH3 in the gas phase: Formation,H-transfer and C—C bond formation between partners,and channeling of energy into dissociation

Photoionization mass spectrometry was used to investigate the dynamics of ion-neutral complex-mediated dissociations of the n-pentane ion (1). Reinterpretation of previous data demonstrates that a fraction of ions 1 isomerizes to the 2-methylbutane ion (2) through the complex CH₃CH⁺CH ₃ ^· CH₂CH₃ (3), but not through CH₃CH⁺CH₂CH ₃ ^· CH₃ (4). The appearance energy for C₃Hin ₇ ⁺ formation from 1 is 66 kJ mol^?1 below that expected for the formation of n-C₃H ₇ ⁺ and just above that expected for formation of i-C₃H ₇ ⁺ . This demonstrates that the H shift that isomerizes C₃H ₇ ⁺ is synchronized with bond cleavage at the threshold for dissociation to that product. It is suggested that ions that contain n-alkyl chains generally dissociate directly to more stable rearranged carbenium ions. Ethane elimination from 3 is estimated to be about seven times more frequent than is C-C bond formation between the partners in that complex to form 2, which demonstrates a substantial preference in 3 for H abstraction over C-C bond formation. In 1 → CH₃CH⁺CH₂CH₃ + CH₃ by direct cleavage of the C1–C2 bond, the fragments part rapidly enough to prevent any reaction between them. However, 1 → 2 → 4 → C4H ₈ ⁺ + CH₄ occurs in this same energy range. Thus some of the potential energy made available by the isomerization of n-C₄H₉ in 1 is specifically channeled into the coordinate for dissociation. In contrast, analogous formation of 3 by 1 → 3 is predominantly followed by reaction between the electrostatically bound partners.     

MCSCF and VTST studies of reaction CH + H_2→CH_3

The reaction path of CH+H2→CH3 is traced with Fukui's IRC theory and MCSCF/6-31G method. On this basis. the dynamical properties along the reaction path and variational transition state theory, (VTST. including CVT, ICVT,μVT and US methods) rate constants are investigated. The results show that the recrossing effect is small, but the curvature effect on rate constant is considerable and it must be taken into account in theoretical study.