Unimolecular Rate Constants for the HF and HCl Elimination Reactions from Chemically Activated CF2ClSH

Chemically activated CF₃SH, CFCl₂SH, and CF₂ClSH were formed through combination of SH and CF₃, CFCl₂, and CF₂Cl radicals, respectively. The SH radical was prepared by abstraction of an H‐atom from H₂S by the halocarbon radical produced during photolysis of (CF₃)₂C=O, (CFCl₂)₂C=O, or (CF₂Cl)₂C=O. 1,2‐HX (X = F, Cl) elimination reactions were observed from CF₃SH, CFCl₂SH, and CF₂ClSH with products detected by GC‐MS. The combination reaction of CF₂Cl radicals with SH radicals prepared CF₂ClSH molecules with approximately 318 kJ/mol of internal energy. The experimental rate constants for elimination of HCl and HF from CF₂ClSH were 3 ± 3 × 10¹⁰ and 2 ± 1 × 10⁹ s^?1, respectively. Comparison to Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus (RRKM) calculated rate constants assigned the threshold energies as 171 ± 12 and 205 ± 12 kJ/mol for the unimolecular elimination of HCl and HF, respectively. Theoretical calculations using the B3PW91, MP2, and M062X methods with the 6311+G(2d,p) and 6‐31G(d',p') basis sets established that for a specific method the threshold energies differ by only 4 kJ/mol between the two different basis sets. There was wide variation among the three methods, but the M062X approach appeared to give threshold energies closest to the experimental values. Chemically activated CF₃SH and CFCl₂SH were also prepared with about 318 kcal mol^?1 of internal energy, and the HX (X = F, Cl) elimination reactions were observed. Only HCl loss was detected from CFCl₂SH, but the rate was too fast to measure with our kinetic method; however, based on our detection limit the HF elimination channel is at least 50 times slower.