Toluene combustion: reaction paths, thermochemical properties, and kinetic analysis for the methylphenyl radical + O2 reaction

Aromatic compounds such as toluene and xylene are major components of many fuels. Accurate kinetic mechanisms for the combustion of toluene are, however, incomplete, as they do not accurately model experimental results such as strain rates and ignition times and consistently underpredict conversion. Current kinetic mechanisms for toluene combustion neglect the reactions of the methylphenyl radicals, and we believe that this is responsible, in part, for the shortcomings of these models. We also demonstrate how methylphenyl radical formation is important in the combustion and pyrolysis of other alkyl-substituted aromatic compounds such as xylene and trimethylbenzene. We have studied the oxidation reactions of the methylphenyl radicals with O2 using computational ab initio and density functional theory methods. A detailed reaction submechanism is presented for the 2-methylphenyl radical + O2 system, with 16 intermediates and products. For each species, enthalpies of formation are calculated using the computational methods G3 and G3B3, with isodesmic work reactions used to minimize computational errors. Transition states are calculated at the G3B3 level, yielding high-pressure limit elementary rate constants as a function of temperature. For the barrierless methylphenyl + O2 and methylphenoxy + O association reactions, rate constants are determined from variational transition state theory. Multichannel, multifrequency quantum Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel (qRRK) theory, with master equation analysis for falloff, provides rate constants as a function of temperature and pressure from 800 to 2400 K and 1 x 10(-4) to 1 x 10(3) atm. Analysis of our results shows that the dominant pathways for reaction of the three isomeric methylphenyl radicals is formation of methyloxepinoxy radicals and subsequent ring opening to methyl-dioxo-hexadienyl radicals. The next most important reaction pathway involves formation of methylphenoxy radicals + O in a chain branching process. At lower temperatures, the formation of stabilized methylphenylperoxy radicals becomes significant. A further important reaction channel is available only to the 2-methylphenyl isomer, where 6-methylene-2,4-cyclohexadiene-1-one (ortho-quinone methide, o-QM) is produced via an intramolecular hydrogen transfer from the methyl group to the peroxy radical in 2-methylphenylperoxy, with subsequent loss of OH. The decomposition of o-QM to benzene + CO reveals a potentially important new pathway for the conversion of toluene to benzene during combustion. A number of the important products of toluene combustion proposed in this study are known to be precursors of polyaromatic hydrocarbons that are involved in soot formation. Reactions leading to the important unsaturated oxygenated intermediates identified in this study, and the further reactions of these intermediates, are not included in current aromatic oxidation mechanisms.     

Unraveling chemical structure of laminar premixed tetralin flames at low pressure with photoionization mass spectrometry and kinetic modeling

This work reports an investigation on laminar premixed flames of tetralin at 30 Torr and equivalence ratios of 0.7 and 1.7. Measurements of the chemical structure including identification and mole fraction measurements of free radicals, isomers, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were performed using synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry (SVUV‐PIMS). A kinetic model with 296 species and 1 577 reactions was developed and validated against the flame chemical structure data measured in this work. Modeling analysis reveals the key reaction pathways in tetralin decomposition and PAHs formation. The H‐atom abstraction reactions by H, O, and OH are found to control the consumption of tetralin in the lean flame, while those by H play the dominant role in the rich flame. Indene and naphthalene have very high concentration levels in the rich tetralin flame due to the existence of direct formation pathways from the decomposition of tetralin. The two bicyclic PAHs and their radicals play significant roles in the PAHs growth process of tetralin combustion, which results in the high sooting tendency of tetralin compared to those of alkylbenzenes with smaller or same carbon atom numbers.     

Thermal decomposition of methyl butanoate: ab initio study of a biodiesel fuel surrogate

In this paper, we report a detailed analysis of the breakdown kinetic mechanism for methyl butanoate (MB) using theoretical approaches. Electronic structures and structure-related molecular properties of reactants, intermediates, products, and transition states were explored at the BH&HLYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory. Rate constants for the unimolecular and bimolecular reactions in the temperature range of 300-2500 K were calculated using Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus and transition state theories, respectively. Thirteen pathways were identified leading to the formation of small compounds such as CH(3), C(2)H(3), CO, CO(2), and H(2)CO. For the initial formation of MB radicals, H, CH(3), and OH were considered as reactive radicals participating in hydrogen abstraction reactions. Kinetic simulation results for a high temperature pyrolysis environment show that MB radicals are mainly produced through hydrogen abstraction reactions by H atoms. In addition, the C(O)OCH(3) = CO + CH(3)O reaction is found to be the main source of CO formation. The newly computed kinetic sub-model for MB breakdown is recommended as a core component to study the combustion of oxygenated species.     

Ab initio study of chain branching reactions involving second generation products in hydrocarbon combustion mechanisms

sec-Alkyl radicals are key reactive intermediates in the hydrocarbon combustion and atmospheric decomposition mechanisms that are formed by the abstraction of hydrogen from an alkane, or as a second generation product of n-alkyl H-migrations, C-C bond scissions in branched alkyl radicals, or the bimolecular reaction between olefins and n-alkyl radicals. Since alkanes and branched alkanes, which the sec-alkyl radicals are derived from, make up roughly 40-50% of traditional fuels an understanding of their chemistry is essential to improving combustion systems. The present work investigates all H-migration reactions initiated from an sec-alkyl radical that involve the movement of a secondary hydrogen, for the 2-butyl through 4-octyl radicals, using the CBS-Q, G2, and G4 composite methods. The resulting thermodynamic and kinetic parameters are compared to similar reactions in n-alkyl radicals in order to determine underlying trends. Particular attention is paid to the effect of cis/trans and 1,3-diaxial interactions on activation energies and rate coefficients. When combined with our previous work on n-alkyl radical H-migrations, a complete picture of H-migrations in unbranched alkyl radicals is obtained. This full data set suggests that the directionality of the remaining branched chains has a minimal effect on the rate coefficients for all but the largest viable transition states, which is in stark contrast to the differences predicted by the structurally similar dimethylcycloalkanes. In fact the initial location of the secondary radical site has a greater effect on the rate than does the directionality of the remaining alkyl chains. The activation energies for secondary to secondary reactions are much closer to those of the secondary to primary H-migrations. However, the rate coefficients are found to be closer to the corresponding primary to primary reaction values. A significant ramification of these results is that there will be multiple viable reaction pathways for these reactions instead of only one dominant pathway as previously believed.     

Uncovering the fundamental chemistry of alkyl + O2 reactions via measurements of product formation

The reactions of alkyl radicals (R) with molecular oxygen (O(2)) are critical components in chemical models of tropospheric chemistry, hydrocarbon flames, and autoignition phenomena. The fundamental kinetics of the R + O(2) reactions is governed by a rich interplay of elementary physical chemistry processes. At low temperatures and moderate pressures, the reactions form stabilized alkylperoxy radicals (RO(2)), which are key chain carriers in the atmospheric oxidation of hydrocarbons. At higher temperatures, thermal dissociation of the alkylperoxy radicals becomes more rapid and the formation of hydroperoxyl radicals (HO(2)) and the conjugate alkenes begins to dominate the reaction. Internal isomerization of the RO(2) radicals to produce hydroperoxyalkyl radicals, often denoted by QOOH, leads to the production of OH and cyclic ether products. More crucially for combustion chemistry, reactions of the ephemeral QOOH species are also thought to be the key to chain branching in autoignition chemistry. Over the past decade, the understanding of these important reactions has changed greatly. A recognition, arising from classical kinetics experiments but firmly established by recent high-level theoretical studies, that HO(2) elimination occurs directly from an alkylperoxy radical without intervening isomerization has helped resolve tenacious controversies regarding HO(2) formation in these reactions. Second, the importance of including formally direct chemical activation pathways, especially for the formation of products but also for the formation of the QOOH species, in kinetic modeling of R + O(2) chemistry has been demonstrated. In addition, it appears that the crucial rate coefficient for the isomerization of RO(2) radicals to QOOH may be significantly larger than previously thought. These reinterpretations of this class of reactions have been supported by comparison of detailed theoretical calculations to new experimental results that monitor the formation of products of hydrocarbon radical oxidation following a pulsed-photolytic initiation. In this article, these recent experiments are discussed and their contributions to improving general models of alkyl + O(2) reactions are highlighted. Finally, several prospects are discussed for extending the experimental investigations to the pivotal questions of QOOH radical chemistry.     

Mechanism of HTO formation in gaseous tritium mixtures

The mechanisms for the conversion of molecular tritium gas to tritiated water are examined for tritium mixtures with (1) oxygen and nitrogen, (2) oxygen and argon, and (3) water and helium, for which previous experimental data exist. By analyzing results of these experiments in light of the radiation chemistry involved in a mixture of tritium and other gases, an understanding of the conversion mechanisms is reached. The formation of H and/or OH free radicals as intermediate species is of particular significance in the formation of HTO in that these radicals initiate a number of reactions which lead to the formation of water. These reactions are analyzed in terms of steady-state kinetics to obtain predictive models which can be judged against the experimental observations. For the three experimentally observed mixtures, model agreement is found to be within a factor of 2–3.     

Ester decomposition as a two-center synchronous reaction

Experimental data on the molecular decomposition of esters with various structures into an olefin and the corresponding acid in the gas phase are analyzed in terms of the intersecting parabolas method. Enthalpies and kinetic parameters characterizing this decomposition have been calculated for 33 reactions. Ester decomposition is a concerted two-center reaction characterized by a very high classical potential barrier of thermoneutral reaction (148–206 kJ/mol). The totality of reactions examined is divided into eight classes. Activation energies and rate constants have been calculated for 38 reactions using the kinetic parameters obtained. The activation energies and rate constants of the reverse bimolecular reaction of acid addition to olefins have been calculated by the intersecting parabolas method. Factors in the activation energy of ester decomposition and formation reactions are discussed.     

Thermal decomposition of model compound of algal biomass

This contribution investigates thermal decomposition of leucine, as a representative model compound for amino acids in algal biomass. We map out potential energy surface for a wide array of unimolecular and self-condensation reactions operating in the decomposition of leucine. Decarboxylation and dehydration of leucine ensues by eliminating CO₂ and –OH, respectively, from the –COOH group attached to the α-carbon. The molecular channel for deamination involves cleavage of NH₂ from α-carbon of leucine. The activation energies for direct elimination of CO₂, NH₃, and H₂O from a leucine molecule lie within 20.7 kJ/mol of each other. Activation energies for these decomposition pathways reside below the bond dissociation enthalpy of H–C(α) of 323.1 kJ/mol. The decarboxylation, deamination, and dehydration pathways, via radical-prompted pathways, systematically require lower energy barriers, in reference to closed-shell reaction corridors. Detailed computations at the CBS-QB3 level provide the Arrhenius rate parameters for the unimolecular and bimolecular reactions, and standard enthalpies of formation, standard entropies, and heat capacities for all the products and intermediates. A kinetic analysis of gas-phase reactions, within the context of a plug-flow reactor model, accounts qualitatively for the formation of major products observed experimentally in the thermal degradation of the condensed-phase leucine. Among notable N-containing species, the model predicts the prevailing of NH₃ over HCN and HNCO, in addition to corresponding appreciable concentrations of amines, imines, and nitriles. Our detailed kinetic investigation illustrates a negligible contribution of the self-condensation reactions of leucine in the gas phase.     

Vinyl polymerization in the presence of copper salts

The radical polymerization of several vinyl monomers has been studied in the presence of cupric chloride. A termination reaction with Cu^II species leads to the formation of Cu^I species which can also participate significantly in termination with some, but not all, of the monomers studied. A theoretical treatment of the kinetics of such systems is presented which takes full account of initiator depletion during extended inhibition during extended inhibition periods. Specific velocity constants for reactions of polymer radicals with both Cu^II and Cu^I moieties are derived from observations on the nonstationary phase at the end of the inhibition period and from the subsequent steady state of polymerization. On the basis of the results presented here, together with the work of other authors, the patterns-of-reactivity approach gives α = ?5.4, β = 9.0 as the parameters for copper (II) chloride. The implications of the results in relation to the mechanisms of the reactions between polymer radicals and both copper(II) chloride and copper(I) chloride are discussed. The kinetic treatment also provides an improved method for the determination of the rate of initiator decomposition and the rate of initiation form studies of the inhibition period.     

Spectroscopic and kinetic evidence for an accumulating intermediate in an SNV reaction with amine nucleophiles. Reaction of methyl beta-methylthio-alpha-nitrocinnamate with piperidine and morpholine

A spectroscopic and kinetic study of the reaction of methyl beta-methylthio-alpha-nitrocinnamate (4-SMe) with morpholine, piperidine, and hydroxide ion in 50% DMSO/50% water (v/v) at 20 degrees C is reported. The reactions of 4-SMe with piperidine in a pH range from 10.12 to 11.66 and those with morpholine at pH 12.0 are characterized by two kinetic processes when monitored at lambdamax (364 nm) of the substrate, but by only one process when monitored at lambdamax (388) nm of the product. The rate constants obtained at 388 nm were the same as those determined for the slower of the two processes at 364 nm. These rate constants refer to product formation, whereas the faster process observed at 364 nm is associated with the loss of reactant to form an intermediate. In contrast, for the reaction of 4-SMe with morpholine at pH 8.62 the rates of product formation and disappearance of the substrate were the same, i.e., there is no accumulation of an intermediate. Likewise, the reaction of 4-SMe with OH- did not yield a detectable intermediate. The factors that allow the accumulation of intermediates in certain SNV reactions but not in others are discussed in detail, and structure-reactivity comparisons are made with reactions of piperidine and morpholine with other highly activated vinylic substrates.     

Kinetics of self-decomposition and hydrogen atom transfer reactions of substituted phthalimide N-oxyl radicals in acetic acid

Kinetic data have been obtained for three distinct types of reactions of phthalimide N-oxyl radicals (PINO(.)) and N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) derivatives. The first is the self-decomposition of PINO(.) which was found to follow second-order kinetics. In the self-decomposition of 4-methyl-N-hydroxyphthalimide (4-Me-NHPI), H-atom abstraction competes with self-decomposition in the presence of excess 4-Me-NHPI. The second set of reactions studied is hydrogen atom transfer from NHPI to PINO(.), e.g., PINO(.) + 4-Me-NHPI <=> NHPI + 4-Me-PINO(.). The substantial KIE, k(H)/k(D) = 11 for both forward and reverse reactions, supports the assignment of H-atom transfer rather than stepwise electron-proton transfer. These data were correlated with the Marcus cross relation for hydrogen-atom transfer, and good agreement between the experimental and the calculated rate constants was obtained. The third reaction studied is hydrogen abstraction by PINO(.) from p-xylene and toluene. The reaction becomes regularly slower as the ring substituent on PINO(.) is more electron donating. Analysis by the Hammett equation gave rho = 1.1 and 1.8 for the reactions of PINO(.) with p-xylene and toluene, respectively.     

基于反应力场分子模拟的乙烯燃烧自由基与氮气相互作用研究

采用反应力场分子动力学(ReaxFF-MD)方法, 模拟了富燃料条件下乙烯在空气中的燃烧以及燃烧产生的自由基与氮气的相互作用. 采用ReacNetGenerator程序提取反应网络, 结合自编后处理程序确定反应网络上的相关反应, 分析了乙烯燃烧的反应路径, 以及自由基与N₂的相关反应和NO的生成路径. 结果表明, 乙烯燃烧路径与已报道的通过乙烯燃烧反应机理模拟得到的燃烧路径一致, 说明用ReaxFF-MD方法模拟乙烯高温燃烧有效而可靠; 乙烯在富燃料条件下燃烧产生的CH, C₂H, C₂, C₂O自由基是瞬发型NO生成的重要反应物. 这些自由基与N₂的反应和NO的生成路径, 为构建乙烯和大分子碳氢燃料燃烧氮氧化物排放的反应机理提供了重要参考.     

Molecular decomposition of polyolefins: Kinetic parameters and geometry of the transition state

The experimental data on the molecular decomposition of olefins ( 1 -pentens) of various structures to two olefins in a gas phase were analyzed by means of the parabola intersection method. The enthalpies and kinetic parameters characterizing such decomposition were calculated for eighteen reactions. Decomposition of olefins representing two-centered concerted re action was found to be characterized by a very high classic potential barrier of thermoneutral reaction (197.4 kJ/mol). The kinetic parameters (activation energy and velocity constant) of fifteen reverse reactions of formation of olefins from two alkenes were calculated using the parabola-intersection method. The factors affect ing the activation energy of the reactions of olefin decomposition and formation are discussed. Quantum chemical calculations of the transition state energy and geometry for six reactions of olefin decomposition were performed.     

Kinetic parameters and geometry of the transition state of acyl radical decarbonylation

Experimental data on acyl radical decomposition reactions (RC^·O → R^· + CO, where R = alkyl or aryl) are analyzed in terms of the intersecting parabolas method. Kinetic parameters characterizing these reactions are calculated. The transition state of methyl radical addition to CO at the C atoms is calculated using the DFT method. A semiempirical algorithm is constructed for calculating the transition state geometry for the decomposition of acyl radicals and for the reverse reactions of R^· addition to CO. Kinetic parameters (activation energy and rate constant) and geometry (interatomic distances in the transition state) are calculated for 18 decomposition reactions of structurally different acyl radicals. A linear correlation between the interatomic distance r ^#(C…C) (or r ^#(C…O)) in the transition state the enthalpy of the reaction (δH _e) is established for acyl decomposition reactions (at br _e = const). A comparative analysis of the enthalpies, activation energies, and interatomic distances in the transition state is carried out for the decomposition and formation of acyl, carboxyl, and formyl radicals.     

Automatic reduction of detailed mechanisms of combustion of alkanes by chemical lumping

This article presents an automatic method for reducing a detailed primary mechanism of combustion of any single alkane. Free radicals having the same molecular formula and the same functional groups are lumped into one single species. The number of free radicals of the primary mechanism is divided by a factor 16 in the case of n‐heptane. The kinetic parameters of lumped reactions are computed as weighted means of individual rate constants without any fitting process. The simulations of lumped and detailed mechanisms of combustion of isooctane and n‐heptane show a good agreement in a wide temperature range (600–1200 K). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 32: 36–51, 2000     

Theoretical investigation of the gas-phase kinetics active during the GaN MOVPE

Quantum chemistry investigations have been performed to study the gas-phase chemistry active during the MOVPE of GaN when Ga(CH3)(3) and NH3, diluted in a H2 carrier gas, are used as precursors. Optimized molecular geometries, energies, and transition-state structures of gas-phase species have been determined with density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311+g(d,p) level. On the basis of the similarity with the soot formation mechanism active during hydrocarbon combustion, we propose that in this system a gas-phase chemistry is active and its reactivity is enhanced by a radical chain mechanism started from methyl radicals. Initiation reactions are surface processes or the pyrolysis of Ga(CH3)(3). A propagation mechanism composed of fast radical reactions, most of which without an activation energy, was identified, and kinetic constants were determined for each step. The proposed mechanism is able to describe the formation of large GaN adducts formed by up to three R-Ga-NH units. These molecules can give fast cyclization reactions that lead to the formation of six-membered cyclic species, which, similar to benzene for combustion, are thermodynamically stable in vast temperature and pressure ranges and can thus be considered as the first GaN nuclei. We also found that the presence of H2 as a carrier gas can greatly enhance the rate of formation of gas-phase particles because it is a major source of atomic hydrogen, a promoter of gas-phase reactivity.     

Isomerization and decomposition reactions in the pyrolysis of branched hydrocarbons: 4-methyl-1-pentyl radical

The kinetics of the decomposition of 4-methyl-1-pentyl radicals have been studied from 927-1068 K at pressures of 1.78-2.44 bar using a single pulse shock tube with product analysis. The reactant radicals were formed from the thermal C-I bond fission of 1-iodo-4-methylpentane, and a radical inhibitor was used to prevent interference from bimolecular reactions. 4-Methyl-1-pentyl radicals undergo competing decomposition and isomerization reactions via beta-bond scission and 1, x-hydrogen migrations (x = 4, 5), respectively, to form short-chain radicals and alkenes. Major alkene products, in decreasing order of concentration, were propene, ethene, isobutene, and 1-pentene. The observed products are used to validate a RRKM/master equation (ME) chemical kinetics model of the pyrolysis. The presence of the branched methyl moiety has a significant impact on the observed reaction rates relative to analogous reaction rates in straight-chain radical systems. Systems that result in the formation of substituted radical or alkene products are found to be faster than reactions that form primary radical and alkene species. Pressure-dependent reaction rate constants from the RRKM/ME analysis are provided for all four H-transfer isomers at 500-1900 K and 0.1-1000 bar pressure for all of the decomposition and isomerization reactions in this system.     

Theoretical study of the thermal decomposition of the 5-methyl-2-furanylmethyl radical

The thermal decomposition of the 5-methyl-2-furanylmethyl radical (R(1)), the most important primary radical formed during the combustion and thermal decomposition of 2,5-dimethylfuran (a promising next-generation biofuel), was studied using CBS-QB3 calculations and master equation (ME)/RRKM modeling. Because very little information is available in the literature, the detailed potential energy surface (PES) was investigated thoroughly. Only the main pathways, having a kinetic influence on the decomposition of R(1), were retained in the final ME/RRKM model. Among all the channels studied, the ring-opening of the 5-methyl-2-furanylmethyl radical, followed by ring enlargement to form cyclohexadienone molecules is predicted to be the easiest decomposition channel of R(1). The C(6) cyclic species formed can undergo unimolecular reactions to yield phenol and to a lesser extent cyclopentadiene and CO. Our calculations predict that these species are important products formed during the pyrolysis of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF). Other channels involved in the decomposition of R(1) lead directly to the formation of linear and cyclic unsaturated C(5) species and constitute an additional source of cyclopentadiene and CO. High-pressure limit rate constants were computed as well as thermochemical properties for important species. ME/RRKM analysis was performed to probe the influence of pressure on the rate coefficients and pressure dependent rate coefficients were proposed for pressures and temperatures ranging, respectively, from 10(-2) bar to 10 bar and 1000 to 2000 K.