Theoretical Study on the Gas‐Phase SN2 Reaction of Microhydrated Fluoride with Methyl Fluoride

The rate constants for the gas‐phase S_N2 reaction of F^?(H₂O) with CH₃F have been calculated using the dual‐level variational transition state theory including multidimensional tunneling from 50 to 500 K. Tunneling was found to dominate the reaction below 200 K. The deuterium, ¹³C, and ¹⁴C kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and solvent (D₂O) isotope effects (SKIEs) were also calculated in the same temperature range. The results indicated that the deuterium and heavy water substitutions resulted in inverse KIEs (0.6～0.8 ) while the ¹³C and ¹⁴C substitutions resulted in normal KIEs (1.0～1.2) at room temperature. The calculated carbon KIEs increased significantly below 80 K due to the differences in the magnitude of the tunneling effects for different isotopic substitutions.