Theoretical Study on the Kinetics for the Reactions of Heptyl Radicals with Methanol

Ab initio study of the reactions of n-heptyl radicals(1-C₇H₁₅, 2-C₇H₁₅, 3-C₇H₁₅, and 4-C₇H₁₅) with methanol was conducted over the temperature range of 300-1500 K. Transition states for the reaction channels producing C₇H₁₅OH, CH₃, C₇H₁₅OCH₃, H, C₇H₁₆, CH₂OH and CH₃O were identified and the geometries of all stationary points were calculated at BB1K/MG3S level of theory. The potential barrier heights of the corresponding transition states were predicted by the CBS-QB3//BB1K and G4//BB1K methods, indicating that the eight H-abstraction channels are more kinetically favorable than the channels where OH transfers from CH₃OH to C₇H₁₅ and where the C₇H₁₅OCH₃+H products are given. The rate constants of H-abstraction channels were calculated with TST and TST/Eck. Both the forward and reverse rate constants have positive temperature dependence and the tunneling effect is only important at the temperature lower than 700 K. For the reactions of H-atom abstraction from methyl in CH₃OH by n-heptyl, a reverse and the corresponding forward rate constant are roughly equal. For the reactions of H-atom abstraction from OH in CH₃OH by n-heptyl, a reverse rate constant is larger by several orders of magnitude than the corresponding forward one.