Quantum effects and isotope effects in chemical kinetics

The relations of quantum and kinetic isotope effects are investigated using the exact quantum corrections to the collision and activated complex theories. The latter are computed for the collinear three-atomic reaction H₂ + H → H + H₂ and the related isotopic reactions using realistic potential energy surfaces. Taking into account the bent configurations of the collision complex H-H-H gives a very good agreement between the quantum collision theory and the experimental data for the absolute values and the isotopic ratios of rate constants. Classical trajectory calculations yield considerably lower results.     

On the Separation of Timescales in Chemically Activated Reactions

Chemically activated reactions are important in describing the composition of reactive gases including flames, planetary atmospheres, and the interstellar medium (ISM). In a chemically activated reaction, two reactants combine to populate a vibrationally excited well that can undergo unimolecular transformations (isomerization, dissociation) or be thermalized through collisions with the bath gas. Once a well has been thermalized, it may still have sufficient energy to undergo further unimolecular reaction, in a purely thermal process. If the timescale for the thermally activated process is sufficiently short, such that it approaches that of the chemically activated reaction, the two concurrent processes become inseparable and the value of the phenomenological rate coefficient is no longer obvious. Here, we introduce the thermal decay (TD) procedure to determine phenomenological rate coefficients for chemically activated reactions proceeding on timescales approaching those of thermal reaction, principally for use in stochastic master equation simulations of multiple‐well multiple‐channel unimolecular reaction processes. By fitting the thermal decay of the initially activated well to a first‐order kinetic model, the would‐be thermal yield can be eliminated so as to arrive at the chemically activated component in a reliable and objective fashion. This technique is demonstrated here for the reaction of 1,3,6‐heptatriyne with H using the MultiWell code and a 16‐well 33‐channel C₇H₅ reaction model. A computer program implementing the TD method and for postprocessing of MultiWell output data, PPM, is provided.     

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.     

Isomerization of chemically activated bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-ene and related C6H8 isomers

Singlet methylene was reacted with cyclopentadiene to give chemically activated bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-ene (BCH). The rate of isomerization of BCH to 1,4-cyclohexadiene, 1,3-cyclohexadiene, cis-1,3,5-hexatriene, and l-methylcyclopentadiene is compared with calculated rate constants using the RRKM theory and measured or estimated thermal Arrhenius parameters. Subsequent isomerizations of the C₆H₈ products are also measured and calculated. These include 1,4-cyclohexadiene to benzene and the reversible reactions between 1,3-cyclohexadiene, cis-1,3,5-hexatriene, and trans-1,3,5-hexatriene. The results provide new data for several of these reactions which have not been observed in thermal studies. Agreement between the observed and calculated rates using the strong collision assumption is satisfactory except for the trans-1,3,5-hexatriene to cis-1,3,5-hexatriene reaction.     

The mechanism of ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide by ICl3 catalysts: Halogen bond catalysis or participating in reactions?

The mechanism of ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide by iodine trichloride (ICl₃) catalyst has been explored by using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and three catalytic pathways were proposed. The first and second pathways belong to the halogen bond catalysis, and the third pathway involves the ICl₃ catalysts participating in reactions. When the carbonyl group was maintained involved in the reaction and activated catalytically by the halogen bond, there are two possible pathways. The first pathway involves only one transition state, and the second pathway requires two transition states. There is another pathway in which ICl₃ directly participates in the reaction, it is named the third pathway. Two different transition states of the four-membered rings are generated successively, the transfer of I─O bonds determined the progress of the reaction. Theoretical calculations in this work provide the most basic understanding of ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide by ICl₃ catalysts. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohols by MoVI compounds

Selective and controlled aerobic oxidation of activated benzyl alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes is achieved in refluxing CH₃CN using catalytic amounts of MoO₂Cl₂(L)₂ where L is DMSO, DMF or THF. The catalysis reactions are possible under open air in the absence of any other external co‐oxidants. However, bubbling of oxygen to the reaction mixture is useful in making the catalysis reaction sustained. Both activated and deactivated varieties of α‐substituted benzyl alcohols (secondary alcohols) give ketones in the same reaction conditions. The inexpensive catalyst is selective towards activated primary benzyl alcohols and also, being mild, stops the oxidation at the aldehyde stage, making it synthetically useful. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mechanism and kinetics of the atmospheric degradation of perfluoropolymethylisopropyl ether by OH radical: a theoretical study

In the present work, the mechanism and kinetics of the reaction of perfluoropolymethylisopropyl ether (PFPMIE) with OH radical are studied. The reaction between PFPMIE and OH radical is initiated through breaking of C–C or C–O bond of PFPMIE. These reactions lead to the formation of COF₂ molecules and alkyl radical. The pathways corresponding to the reaction between PFPMIE and OH radical have been modelled using density functional theory methods M06-2X and MPW1K with 6-31G(d,p) basis set. It is found that the C–C bond breaking reaction is most favourable than the C–O bond breaking reaction. The subsequent reactions of the alkyl radicals, formed from the C–C bond breaking reactions, are studied in detail. The rate constant for the initial oxidation reactions is calculated using canonical variational transition state theory with small curvature tunnelling corrections over the temperature range of 278–350 K. From the calculated reaction, potential energy surface and rate constant, the lifetime and global warming potential of PFPMIE are studied.     

Mechanistic pathways for oxidative addition of aryl iodides to the low-ligated diethanolamine palladium(0) complex in phosphine-free Heck reactions

A set of reactions of different activated olefins and aryl iodides with the trans-dichlorobis(diethanolamine-N)palladium(II) complex (trans-[PdCl₂(DEA)₂]) as a precatalyst was performed, in the presence of diethanolamine (DEA) as a weak base, and NaOEt as a strong base. It was established that the presence of NaOEt slightly lowered the yields, but significantly accelerated the reactions. This experimental finding is in agreement with our computational investigation that shows that significantly higher activation barrier is required for the preactivation reaction in the presence of a weak base than in the presence of a strong base. The reaction between the catalytically active DEA-Pd(0)-Cl complex, formed in the preactivation reaction, and iodobenzene was investigated using density functional theory. Two mechanisms for the oxidative addition of the activated complex were found. The first mechanism is based on a nucleophilic attack of Pd on I of iodobenzene, and yields an intermediate tetracoordinated Pd complex (aI2). The second mechanism begins with a nucleophilic attack of Pd on the benzene ring, and yields a tricoordinated intermediate complex (bI4). It was concluded, on the basis of structural and energetical properties of aI2 and bI4, that the second mechanism is significantly more favorable. It was shown that the oxidative addition requires noticeable lower activation energy than that required for the preactivation process. Thus, our investigations indicate that oxidative addition is not the rate determining step for the Heck reactions investigated in this work, but preactivation step.     

Mechanism and Kinetics of the Reaction of Nitrosamines with OH Radical: A Theoretical Study

The reaction of nitrosodimethylamine, nitrosoazetidine, nitrosopyrrolidine, and nitrosopiperidine with the hydroxyl radical has been studied using electronic structure calculations in gas and aqueous phases. The rate constant was calculated using variational transition state theory. The reactions are initiated by H‐atom abstraction from the αC─H group of nitrosamines and leads to the formation of alkyl radical intermediate. In the subsequent reactions, the initially formed alkyl radical intermediate reacts with O₂ forming a peroxy radical. The reaction of peroxy radical with other atmospheric oxidants, such as HO₂ and NO radicals, is studied. The structures of the reactive species were optimized by using the density functional theory methods, such as M06‐2X, MPW1K, and BHandHLYP, and hybrid methods G3B3. The single‐point energy calculations were also performed at CCSD(T)/6‐311+G(d,p)// M062X/6‐311+G(d,p) level. The calculated thermodynamical parameters show that the reactions corresponding to the formation of intermediates and products are highly exothermic. We have calculated the rate constant for the initial H‐atom abstraction and subsequent favorable secondary reactions using canonical variational transition state theory over the temperature range of 150–400 K. The calculated rate constant for initial H‐atom abstraction reaction is ∼3 × 10⁻¹² cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ and is in agreement with the previous experimental results. The calculated thermochemical data and rate constants show that the reaction profile and kinetics of the reactions are less dependent on the number of methyl groups present in the nitrosoamines. Furthermore, it has been found that the atmospheric lifetime of nitrosamines is around 5 days in the normal atmospheric OH concentration.     

Activation of the Unreactive Bond in C70 Fullerene toward Diels‐Alder Reaction by Encapsulation of a Lithium Atom

Diels‐Alder cycloaddition reaction is useful for generation of covalent derivatives of fullerenes. Diels‐Alder reactions of C₇₀ and dienes usually take place at the carbon‐carbon bond that has a short bond length in C₇₀, while the bonds with long lengths are generally unreactive. In this paper, we investigated the reactivities of Li⁺@C₇₀ and Li@C₇₀ toward Diels‐Alder reactions with cyclohexadiene by means of density functional theory calculations. We found that the thermodynamic and kinetic reactivities of the fullerene cage are changed significantly after the encapsulation of the lithium ion or atom. The encapsulated lithium ion causes a remarkable decrease of the activation barrier for the cycloaddition reaction, which can be ascribed to the enhanced orbital interaction between cyclohexadiene and the fullerene cage. The unreactive bond with a long length in C₇₀ is activated efficiently after the encapsulation of the lithium atom. According to the activation‐strain model analysis, the improved reactivity of the long bond is associated with the small deformation energy and large interaction energy of the reactants. Unlike conventional Diels‐Alder reactions that proceed through concerted mechanism, the reaction of Li@C₇₀ and cyclohexadiene undergoes an unusual stepwise mechanism because of the open‐shell electronic structure of Li@C₇₀.     

Two Colour Photoflow Chemistry for Macromolecular Design

We report a photochemical flow setup that exploits λ‐orthogonal reactions using two different colours of light (λ₁=350 nm and λ₂=410 nm) in sequential on‐line irradiation steps. Critically, both photochemically reactive units (a visible‐light reactive chalcone and a UV‐activated photo‐caged diene) are present in the reaction mixture. We demonstrate the power of two colour photoflow by the wavelength‐selective end group modification of photo‐caged polymer end groups and the subsequent polymer ring closure driven by a [2+2] cycloaddition. Importantly, we evidence that the high energy gate does not induce the visible light reaction of the chalcone, which attests the true λ‐orthogonal nature of the flow reaction system. For the first time, this study opens the realm of photoflow reactions to λ‐orthogonal photochemistry.     

Comparative Computational Study of Hydrogen Abstraction Reactions of CY3H + XO− (X,Y = F,Cl, and Br)

The effects of halogen substituents on the reactivity are characterized by the hybrid B3LYP and BHandHLYP functionals of density functional theory using the aug‐cc‐pVDZ basis set. The species XO⁻ and CY₃H, where X, Y = F, Cl, and Br, have been chosen as model reactants in this work. Also, the mechanism of the hydrogen abstraction (HAT) reaction has been used to study the chemical reactivity of these anionic reactions. Our theoretical findings suggest that the relative reactivity of the CY₃H + XO⁻ reactions increases as Y goes from F to Br and decreases as X goes from F to Br. Moreover, among all reactions investigated in this study, the special role of the Y has very dominant effect on activation of the C–H bond in CY₃H when XO⁻ attacks the CY₃H. Again, through the transition state theory the rate constants at 298–1000 K are also evaluated for the HAT reactions, indicating the lower the temperature the faster is the chemical reaction.     

A DFT study on a mutipathways,one product reaction: Initially divergent radical reactions reconverge to form a single product

The mechanism for initially divergent radical reactions reconverging to form a single product is studied using density functional theory calculations. The calculation results suggest that there are six possible pathways from reactants to products. The free energy barriers of the rate‐determining steps of each pathway are almost equal. Thus, different from usual reaction, the selectivity of this reaction is determined by the relative value of free energy barriers of the two competitive reactions, that is, cyclization and bimolecular trapping, rather than that of rate‐determining steps. In all reaction pathways, cyclization reaction is more competitive than bimolecular trapping reaction due to its low free energy barrier. In addition, the free energy barriers of bimolecular trapping reaction between Bu₃SnH and reactants are all lower than that of NC? C₆H₁₁. However, Bu₃SnH is not always suitable due to its large steric repulsion. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

烷基自由基β位裂解反应类反应势垒与速率常数的精确计算

提出反应类等键方法并用于高温燃烧机理中一类重要反应——烷基自由基β位裂解反应的反应势垒和速率常数的精确校正计算. 通过10种不同从头算水平对类反应中5个代表反应的反应势垒的计算发现, 用反应类等键反应方法和直接从头算方法获得的5 个代表反应的反应势垒最大绝对偏差的平均值分别为5.32 和16.16 kJ·mol^-1, 表明反应类等键反应方法计算的反应势垒对不同水平从头算方法的依赖性小, 可在较低从头算水平计算得到精确的反应势垒, 解决大分子体系反应势垒的精确计算问题. 此外应用反应类等键反应方法在BHandHLYP/cc-pVDZ 从头算水平计算了3 个代表反应的速率常数, 并与文献报道的实验值进行了比较, 其在500-2000 K温度区间内计算速率常数与实验速率常数中较大值与较小值的比值k_max/k_min的平均值为1.67, 最大值也仅有2.49. 表明应用反应类等键反应方法在较低从头算水平即可对同类反应的速率常数进行精确计算.最后在BHandHLYP/cc-pVDZ从头算水平用反应类等键反应方法计算了13个烷基自由基β位裂解反应的速率常数.     

CH3S自由基H迁移异构化及脱H2反应的直接动力学研究

采用密度泛函方法(MPW1PW91)在6-311G(d,p)基组水平上研究了CH₃S自由基H迁移反应CH₃S→CH₂SH (R1), 脱H₂反应CH₃S→HCS＋H₂ (R2)以及脱H₂产物HCS异构化反应HCS→CSH (R3)的微观动力学机理. 在QCISD(t)/6- 311＋＋G(d,p)//MPW1PW91/6-311G(d,p)＋ZPE水平上进行了单点能校正. 利用经典过渡态理论(TST)与变分过渡态理论(CVT)分别计算了各反应在200～2000 K温度区间内的速率常数k^TST和k^CVT, 同时获得了经小曲率隧道效应模型(SCT)校正后的速率常数k^CVT/SCT. 结果表明, 反应 R1, R2 和R3的势垒△E^≠分别为160.69, 266.61和241.63 kJ/mol, R1为反应的主通道. 低温下CH₃S比CH₂SH稳定, 高温时CH₂SH比CH₃S更稳定. 另外, 速率常数计算结果显示, 量子力学隧道效应在低温段对速率常数的计算有显著影响, 而变分效应在计算温度段内对速率常数的影响可以忽略.     

Defect Engineering on Boron Nitride for O2 Activation and Subsequent Oxidative Desulfurization

The rational design of highly active hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) catalysts at the atomic level is urgent for aerobic reactions. Herein, a doping impurity atom strategy is adopted to increase its catalytic activities. A series of doping systems involving O, C impurities and B, N antisites are constructed and their catalytic activities for molecular O₂ have been studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is demonstrated that O₂ is highly activated on O_N and B_N defects, and moderately activated on C_B and C_N defects, however, it is not stable on N_B and O_B defects. The subsequent application in oxidative desulfurization (ODS) reactions proves the O_N and C-doped (C_B, C_N) systems to be good choice for sulfocompounds oxidization, especially for dibenzothiophene (DBT). While the B_N antisite is not suitable for such aerobic reaction due to the extremely stable B−O^*−B species formed during the oxidation process.     

Self-activation of catalyst and functionalization of metal surfaces

Why can solid surfaces promote a variety of chemical reactions? We supposed that active sites or active compounds are formed over the catalyst surface during catalysis or in pretreatment. Three topics are discussed from this viewpoint in this review. The first topic is an activation of inactive MoO_x film to super-active olefin metathesis catalyst, where Mo=CHR sites are prepared on MoO_x. A total mechanism for the productive and the cross metathesis of propene was firstly established on an activated catalyst by using deuterium labeled olefins. In the second topic, a new concept of quasi-compounds is discussed by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and it is shown that the reaction of quasi-compounds yields (Cu)₆ cluster and (–Cu–O–) strings on Ag(110). In the third topic, a self-activation of Pt–Rh alloy and Pt/Rh bimetallic surfaces during the reaction of NO + H₂ is discussed by using single crystal surfaces. STM image showed that a Pt–Rh(100) surface is activated by reacting with oxygen where a specific array of Pt and Rh atoms is established. Formation of similar active sites on the other crystallographic surfaces is responsible for structure insensitive catalysis of Pt/Rh bimetallic surfaces.     

An analysis of the kinetics of reversible A + B(s) ⇄ C reactions on porous or powdered materials

The kinetics of the A + B(s) ? C reversible process in a powdered material was analyzed for the example of the F₂ + PuF₄(s) ? PuF₆ reaction. Two possibilities of performing this reaction were considered, with pressed and powdered plutonium tetrafluoride. The first possibility does not contain uncertainties and allows the rate constants of the forward and back reactions to be found using the known equilibrium constant values. Experiments with the powdered substance can be used to obtain data on the other details of the reaction. The most general problem was considered and all significant processes were taken into account. These were (1) the diffusion of fluorine and plutonium hexafluoride molecules in the powder, (2) the forward and back reactions on the surface of particles, and (3) the removal of plutonium hexafluoride molecules formed from the surface of the tetrafluoride powder. The reaction became equilibrium as the gas mixture moved over the reaction cell, and the product ceased to form. The optimum cell length was calculated. The theory developed is necessary for planning experiments with powdered materials and experimental data processing. The theory generalizes the results obtained by Zel’dovich to reactions with unstable final products (that is, reversible reactions).     

A density functional theory study on the atmospheric reaction of CH3O2 with HS: Mechanism and kinetics

The reaction mechanism of CH₃O₂ and HS was systematically investigated by density functional theory (DFT). Six singlet pathways and seven triplet ones are located on the potential surface (PES). The result indicates that the main products are CH₃O and HSO both on the singlet and triplet PES, different from the CH₃O₂ + OH reaction. Moreover, deformation density (ρ_def) and atoms in molecules (AIM) analyses were carried out to further uncover the nature of chemical bonding evolution in the primary pathways. Furthermore, reaction rate constants were calculated in the temperature range from 200 to 1000 K using the transition state theory with the Wigner and Eckart tunneling corrections. Our results can shed light on the title reaction and offer instructions for analogous atmospheric reactions, as well as experimental research in the future.