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.     

A systematic computational study of the reactions of HO2 with RO2: the HO2 + C2H5O2 reaction

The reaction of HO2 with C2H5O2 has been studied using the density functional theory (B3LYP) and the coupled-cluster theory [CCSD(T)]. The reaction proceeds on the triplet potential energy surface via hydrogen abstraction to form ethyl hydroperoxide and oxygen. On the singlet potential energy surface, the addition-elimination mechanism is revealed. Variational transition state theory is used to calculate the temperature-dependent rate constants in the range 200-1000 K. At low temperatures (e.g., below 300 K), the reaction takes place predominantly on the triplet surface. The calculated low-temperature rate constants are in good agreement with the experimental data. As the temperature increases, the singlet reaction mechanism plays more and more important role, with the formation of OH radical predominantly. The isotope effect of the reaction (DO2 + C2D5O2 vs HO2 + C2H5O2) is negligible. In addition, the triplet abstraction energetic routes for the reactions of HO2 with 11 alkylperoxy radicals (CnHmO2) are studied. It is shown that the room-temperature rate constants have good linear correlation with the activation energies for the hydrogen abstraction.     

A DFT‐Based Investigation of Hydrogen Abstraction Reactions from Methylated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

The growth of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is in many areas of combustion and pyrolysis of hydrocarbons an inconvenient side effect that warrants an extensive investigation of the underlying reaction mechanism, which is known to be a cascade of radical reactions. Herein, the focus lies on one of the key reaction classes within the coke formation process: hydrogen abstraction reactions induced by a methyl radical from methylated benzenoid species. It has been shown previously that hydrogen abstractions determine the global PAH formation rate. In particular, the influence of the polyaromatic environment on the thermodynamic and kinetic properties is the subject of a thorough exploration. Reaction enthalpies at 298 K, reaction barriers at 0 K, rate constants, and kinetic parameters (within the temperature interval 700–1100 K) are calculated by using B3LYP/6‐31+G(d,p) geometries and BMK/6‐311+G(3df,2p) single‐point energies. This level of theory has been validated with available experimental data for the abstraction at toluene. The enhanced stability of the product benzylic radicals and its influence on the reaction enthalpies is highlighted. Corrections for tunneling effects and hindered (or free) rotations of the methyl group are taken into account. The largest spreading in thermochemical and kinetic data is observed in the series of linear acenes, and a normal reactivity–enthalpy relationship is obtained. The abstraction of a methyl hydrogen atom at one of the center rings of large methylated acenes is largely preferred. Geometrical and electronic aspects lie at the basis of this striking feature. Comparison with hydrogen abstractions leading to arylic radicals is also made.     

Ab initio G3-type/statistical theory study of the formation of indene in combustion flames. I. Pathways involving benzene and phenyl radical

Ab initio G3(MP2,CC)//B3LYP calculations of the potential energy surface (PES) for the formation of indene involving hydrocarbon species abundant in combustion, including benzene, phenyl, propargyl, and methyl radicals, and acetylene, have been performed to investigate the build-up of an additional cyclopenta moiety over the existing six-member aromatic ring. They were followed by statistical calculations of high-pressure-limit thermal rate constants in the temperature range of 300-3000 K for all reaction steps utilizing conventional Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) and transition-state (TST) theories. The hydrogen abstraction acetylene addition (HACA) type mechanism, which involves the formation of benzyl radical followed by addition of acetylene, is shown to have low barriers (12-16 kcal/mol) and to be a viable candidate to account for indene formation in combustion flames, such as the 1,3-butadiene flame, where this mechanism was earlier suggested as the major indene formation route (Granata et al. Combust. Flame 2002, 131, 273). The mechanism of indene formation involving the addition of propargyl radical to benzene and rearrangements on the C9H9 PES is demonstrated to have higher barriers for all reaction steps as compared to an alternative pathway, which starts from the recombination of phenyl and propargyl radicals and then proceeds by activation of the C9H8 adducts by H abstraction or elimination followed by five-member ring closure in C9H7 and H addition to the 2-indenyl radical. The suggested pathways represent potentially important contributors to the formation of indene in combustion flames, and the computed rate constants can be utilized in kinetic simulations of the reaction mechanisms leading to indene and to higher cyclopentafused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CP-PAH).     

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.     

A product branching ratio controlled by vibrational adiabaticity and variational effects: kinetics of the H + trans-N2H2 reactions

The abstraction and addition reactions of H with trans-N(2)H(2) are studied by high-level ab initio methods and density functional theory. Rate constants were calculated for these two reactions by multistructural variational transition state theory with multidimensional tunneling and including torsional anharmonicity by the multistructural torsion method. Rate constants of the abstraction reaction show large variational effects, that is, the variational transition state yields a smaller rate constant than the conventional transition state; this results from the fact that the variational transition state has a higher zero-point vibrational energy than the conventional transition state. The addition reaction has a classical barrier height that is about 1 kcal∕mol lower than that of the abstraction reaction, but the addition rates are lower than the abstraction rates due to vibrational adiabaticity. The calculated branching ratio of abstraction to addition is 3.5 at 200 K and decreases to 1.2 at 1000 K and 1.06 at 1500 K.     

Thermal decomposition of ethanol. 4. Ab initio chemical kinetics for reactions of H atoms with CH3CH2O and CH3CHOH radicals

The potential energy surfaces of H-atom reactions with CH(3)CH(2)O and CH(3)CHOH, two major radicals in the decomposition and oxidation of ethanol, have been studied at the CCSD(T)/6-311+G(3df,2p) level of theory with geometric optimization carried out at the BH&HLYP/6-311+G(3df,2p) level. The direct hydrogen abstraction channels and the indirect association/decomposition channels from the chemically activated ethanol molecule have been considered for both reactions. The rate constants for both reactions have been calculated at 100-3000 K and 10(-4) Torr to 10(3) atm Ar pressure by microcanonical VTST/RRKM theory with master equation solution for all accessible product channels. The results show that the major product channel of the CH(3)CH(2)O + H reaction is CH(3) + CH(2)OH under atmospheric pressure conditions. Only at high pressure and low temperature, the rate constant for CH(3)CH(2)OH formation by collisonal deactivation becomes dominant. For CH(3)CHOH + H, there are three major product channels; at high temperatures, CH(3)+CH(2)OH production predominates at low pressures (P < 100 Torr), while the formation of CH(3)CH(2)OH by collisional deactivation becomes competitive at high pressures and low temperatures (T < 500 K). At high temperatures, the direct hydrogen abstraction reaction producing CH(2)CHOH + H(2) becomes dominant. Rate constants for all accessible product channels in both systems have been predicted and tabulated for modeling applications. The predicted value for CH(3)CHOH + H at 295 K and 1 Torr pressure agrees closely with available experimental data. For practical modeling applications, the rate constants for the thermal unimolecular decomposition of ethanol giving key accessible products have been predicted; those for the two major product channels taking place by dehydration and C-C breaking agree closely with available literature data.     

Photochemical Reactions of Alkyl Phenylglyoxylates(1)

Three new photoproducts, ethyl O-benzoyl mandelate (5a), ethyl O-acetylmandelate (6a), and biphenyl triketone (7a) are isolated and identified in the reactions of ethyl phenylglyoxylate (1a) in benzene. Quantum yields and initial rate constants of product formation are shown to be concentration dependent. For the formation of carbonyl product 3 at lower starting material concentrations (<0.01 M), quantum yields greater than 1 are observed. Variations in the quantum yields as a function of reaction time are due to the accumulation of alpha-hydroxyphenyl ketene (D). The relative reactivities of triplet excited states of phenylglyoxylates 1 and phenyl ketones are compared. A mechanism involving both intramolecular gamma-H abstraction and intermolecular H abstraction, which leads to radical chain reaction, is proposed. Rate constants for intramolecular gamma-H abstraction (k(N)) and intermolecular H abstraction (k(I)) of methyl phenylglyoxylate (1d) are measured.     

Absolute Rate Constants for the Reactions of Primary Alkyl Radicals with Aromatic Amines(1)

Hydrogen abstraction from diarylamines (4-X-C(6)H(4))(2)NH [X = H, CH(3), C(8)H(17), CH(3)O, and Br] by the 2-methyl-2-phenylpropyl radical in n-dodecane solution was investigated by thermolysis of 3-methyl-3-phenylbutanoyl peroxide in the presence of various concentrations of the amines. The reaction is a non-chain process in which the 2-methyl-2-phenylpropyl radical and its rearrangement product, the 2-benzylpropan-2-yl radical, abstract hydrogen from both the solvent and the amine. Cross-disproportionation reactions of the rearranged radical led to the formation of significant amounts of beta,beta-dimethylstyrene. Rate constants for hydrogen abstraction by the unrearranged, primary alkyl radical from n-dodecane (k(373K) = 3.5 x 10(3) M(-)(1) s(-)(1)), diphenylamine (k(373K) = 1.3 x 10(6) M(-)(1) s(-)(1)), and the substituted diarylamines were determined from the product yields and the known rate constant for the radical rearrangement. From kinetic experiments with N-deuteriodiphenylamine the deuterium kinetic isotope effect,k(NH)/k(ND), was found to be 2.3 at 373 K.     

Hydrogen atom abstraction by methyl radicals in methanol glasses at 15–100 K: evidence for a limiting rate constant below 40 K by quantum-mechanical tunneling

Rate constants for hydrogen atom abstraction by methyl radicals in methanol glasses have been measured from 100 to 15 K. The Arrhenius plot is nonlinear and the reaction rate constant appears to reach a limiting value below 40 K. The results are discussed in terms of simple models for quantum-mechanical tunneling in the solid state at low temperatures. Assuming that the methyl group rotation in methanol brings about a merging of the energy level distribution at the potential barrier, the observation of temperature-independent rate constants below 40 K may be attributable to a freezing out of this rotation such that tunneling occurs only from the zero-point vibrational level.     

Theoretical explanation of nonexponential OH decay in reactions with benzene and toluene under pseudo-first-order conditions

OH radical reactions with benzene and toluene have been studied in the 200-600 K temperature range via the CBS-QB3 quantum chemistry method and conventional transition-state theory. Our study takes into account all possible hydrogen abstraction and OH-addition channels, including ipso addition. Reaction rates have been obtained under pseudo-first-order conditions, with aromatic concentrations in large excess compared to OH concentrations, which is the case in the reported experiments as well as in the atmosphere. The reported results are in excellent agreement with the experimental data and reproduce the discontinuity in the Arrhenius plots in the 300 K < T < 400 K temperature range. They support the suggestion that the observed nonexponential OH decay is caused by the existence of competing addition and abstraction channels and by the decomposition of thermalized OH-aromatic adducts back to reactants. We also find that the low-temperature onset of the nonexponential decay depends on the concentration of the aromatic compounds and that the lower the concentration, the lower the temperature onset. Under atmospheric conditions, nonexponential decay was found to occur in the 275-325 K range, which corresponds to temperatures of importance in tropospheric chemistry. Branching ratios for the different reaction channels are reported. We find that for T > or = 400 K the reaction occurs exclusively by H abstraction. At 298 K, ipso addition contributes 13.0% to the overall OH + toluene reaction, while the major products correspond to ortho addition, which represents 43% of all possible channels.     

Quantum chemical and kinetic study of formation of 2-chlorophenoxy radical from 2-chlorophenol: unimolecular decomposition and bimolecular reactions with H, OH, Cl, and O2

This study investigates the kinetic parameters of the formation of the chlorophenoxy radical from the 2-chlorophenol molecule, a key precursor to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCCD/F), in unimolecular and bimolecular reactions in the gas phase. The study develops the reaction potential energy surface for the unimolecular decomposition of 2-chlorophenol. The migration of the phenolic hydrogen to the ortho-C bearing the hydrogen atom produces 2-chlorocyclohexa-2,4-dienone through an activation barrier of 73.6 kcal/mol (0 K). This route holds more importance than the direct fission of Cl or the phenolic H. Reaction rate constants for the bimolecular reactions, 2-chlorophenol + X --> X-H + 2-chlorophenoxy (X = H, OH, Cl, O2) are calculated and compared with the available experimental kinetics for the analogous reactions of X with phenol. OH reaction with 2-chlorophenol produces 2-chlorophenoxy by direct abstraction rather than through addition and subsequent water elimination. The results of the present study will find applications in the construction of detailed kinetic models describing the formation of PCDD/F in the gas phase.     

A structure-activity relationship for the estimation of rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals with organic compounds

A previous technique for the calculation of rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of the OH radical with organic compounds has been updated and extended to include sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds. The overall OH radical reaction rate constants are separated into individual processes involving (a) H-atom abstraction from C? H and O? H bonds in saturated organics, (b) OH radical addition to >C?C< and ? C?C? unsaturated bonds, (c) OH radical addition to aromatic rings, and (d) OH radical interaction with ? NH₂, >NH, >N? , ? SH, and ? S? groups. During its development, this estimation technique has been tested against the available database, and only for 18 out of a total of ca. 300 organic compounds do the calculated and experimental room temperature rate constants disagree by more than a factor of 2. This suggests that this technique has utility in estimating OH radical reaction rate constants at room temperature and atmospheric pressure of air, and hence atmospheric lifetimes due to OH radical reaction, for organic compounds for which experimental data are not available. In addition, OH radical reaction rate constants can be estimated over the temperature range ca. 250–1000 K for those organic compounds which react via H-atom abstraction from C? H and O? H bonds, and over the temperature range ca. 250–500 K for compounds containing >C?C< bond systems.     

Criegee中间体RCHOO(R=H,CH_3)与NCO的反应机理

采用CCSD(T)/aug-cc-p VTZ//B3LYP/6-311+G(2df,2p)方法对Criegee中间体RCHOO(R=H,CH_3)与NCO反应的机理进行了研究,利用经典过渡态理论(TST)并结合Eckart校正模型计算了标题反应在298~500 K范围内优势通道的速率常数.结果表明,上述反应包含亲核加成、氧化和抽氢3类机理,其中每类又包括NCO中N和O分别进攻的两种形式.亲核加成反应中O端进攻为优势通道,氧化和抽氢反应则是N端进攻为优势通道;甲基取代使CH_3CHOO反应活性高于CH2OO;anti-CH_3CHOO的加成及氧化反应活性高于syn-CH_3CHOO,而抽氢反应则是syn-CH_3CHOO的活性高于anti-CH_3CHOO.anti-构象对总速率常数的贡献大于syn-构象,且总速率常数具有显著的负温度效应.     

四氢化萘热解中甲基茚满生成机理的密度泛函计算

采用量子化学密度泛函方法对四氢化萘热解过程中甲基茚满的生成机理进行计算。结果表明,热解产物甲基茚满的主要存在形式是1-甲基茚满;其主要生成反应途径是,首先通过自由基和四氢化萘间的氢转移反应生成β-四氢化萘基,然后β-四氢化萘基上的氢化芳环经缩环反应生成1-甲基茚满。提高温度能促进1-甲基茚满生成反应的进行,但对其生成反应路径没有太大影响。     

NH2(X^2B1)与C2H4反应机理的从头算研究

用从头算MP2方法,在6-311G^**基组下,对NH2X^2B1)与C2H4的加成和氢迁移反应机理进行了研究,优化得到反应的过渡态,并通过振动分析和内禀反应坐标(IRC)加以证实,计算了两个反应的能垒和1500K～2000K温度范围内的速率常数。结果表明：在1500K～2000K温度范围内加成反应是NH2(XX^2B1)与C2H4的反应的主要通道,同时报道了两个反应沿反应路径变化信息。     

Reaction of phenyl radical with propylene as a possible source of indene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: an ab initio/RRKM-ME study

Ab initio G3(MP2,CC)//B3LYP/6-311G** calculations have been performed to investigate the potential energy surface (PES) and mechanism of the reaction of phenyl radical with propylene followed by kinetic RRKM-ME calculations of rate constants and product branching ratios at various temperatures and pressures. The reaction can proceed either by direct hydrogen abstraction producing benzene and three C(3)H(5) radicals [1-propenyl (CH(3)CHCH), 2-propenyl (CH(3)CCH(2)), and allyl (CH(2)CHCH(2))] or by addition of phenyl to the CH or CH(2) units of propylene followed by rearrangements on the C(9)H(11) PES producing nine different products after H or CH(3) losses. The H abstraction channels are found to be kinetically preferable at temperatures relevant to combustion and to contribute 55-75% to the total product yield in the 1000-2000 K temperature range, with the allyl radical being the major product (~45%). The relative contributions of phenyl addition channels are calculated to be ~35% at 1000 K, decreasing to ~15% at 2000 K, with styrene + CH(3) and 3-phenylpropene + H being the major products. Collisional stabilization of C(6)H(5) + C(3)H(6) addition complexes is computed to be significant only at temperatures up to 1000-1200 K, depending on the pressure, and maximizes at low temperatures of 300-700 K reaching up to 90% of the total product yield. At T > 1200 K collisional stabilization becomes negligible, whereas the dissociation products, styrene plus methyl and 3-phenylpropene + H, account for up to 45% of the total product yield. The production of bicyclic aromatic species including indane C(9)H(10) is found to be negligible at all studied conditions indicating that the phenyl addition to propylene cannot be a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) on the C(9)H(11) PES. Alternatively, the formation of a PAH molecule, indene C(9)H(8), can be accomplished through secondary reactions after activation of a major product of the C(6)H(5) + C(3)H(6) addition reaction, 3-phenylpropene, by direct hydrogen abstraction by small radicals, such as H, OH, CH(3), etc. It is shown that at typical combustion temperatures 77-90% of C(9)H(9) radicals formed by H-abstraction from 3-phenylpropene undergo a closure of a cyclopentene ring via low barriers and then lose a hydrogen atom producing indene. This results in 7.0-14.5% yield of indene relative to the initial C(6)H(5) + C(3)H(6) reactants within the 1000-2000 K temperature range.     

Reactivity of tris(trimethylsilyl)silane toward diarylaminyl radicals

Absolute rate constants for the reaction of tri-tert-butylphenoxyl radical (ArO*) with (TMS)(3)SiH were measured spectrophotometrically in the temperature range 321-383 K. Rate constants for the hydrogen abstraction from (TMS)(3)SiH by diarylaminyl radicals of type (4-X-C(6)H(4))(2)N* were determined by using a method in which the corresponding amines catalyze the reaction of ArO* with (TMS)(3)SiH. At 364.2 K, rate constants are in the range of 2-50 M(-)(1) s(-)(1) for X = H, CH(3), CH(3)O, and Br, whereas the corresponding value for ArO* is 3 orders of magnitude lower. A common feature of these reactions is the low preexponential factor [log(A/M(-1)s(-1)) of 4.4 and 5.2 for ArO* and Ph(2)N*, respectively], which reflects high steric demand in the transition state. A semiempirical approach based on intersecting parabolas suggests that the observed reactivity is mainly related to the enthalpy of the reaction and allowed to estimate activation energies for the reaction of (4-X-C(6)H(4))(2)N* and ArO* radicals with a variety of silicon hydrides.     

Mechanistic and kinetic study of the O + CH2OH reaction

The mechanism for the O + CH2OH reaction was investigated by various ab initio quantum chemistry methods. For the chemical activation mechanism, that is, the addition/elimination path, the couple-cluster methods including CCSD and CCSD(T) were employed with the cc-pVXZ (X = D, T, Q, 5) basis sets. For the abstraction channels, multireference methods including CASSCF, CASPT2, and MRCISD were used with the cc-pVDZ and cc-pVTZ basis sets. It has been shown that the production of H + HCOOH is the major channel in the chemical activation mechanism. The minor channels include HCO + H2O and OH + CH2O. The hydrogen abstraction by an O atom from the CH2OH radical produces either OH + CH2O or OH + HCOH. Moreover, the two abstraction reactions are essentially barrierless processes. The rate constants for the association of O with CH2OH have been calculated using the flexible transition state theory. A weak negative temperature dependence of the rate constants is found in the range 250-1000 K. Furthermore, it is estimated that the abstraction processes also play an important role in the O + CH2OH reaction. Additionally, the falloff behavior for the OCH2OH --> H + HCOOH reaction has been investigated. The present theoretical results are compared to the experimental measurements to understand the mechanism and kinetic behavior of the O + CH2OH reaction and the unimolecular reaction of the OCH2OH radical.