Experiments and Calculations on Rate Coefficients for Pyrolysis of SO2 and the Reaction O + SO at High Temperatures

Quantum chemistry and kinetics of hydrogen sulphide oxidation

A fundamental understanding of the acid gas (H2S and CO2) chemistry is key to efficiently implement the desulphurisation process and even the production of clean fuels such as hydrogen or syngas. In this work, we developed a new kinetic model for the pyrolysis and oxidation of hydrogen sulphide by merging two previously reported models with the goal of covering a wider range of conditions and including the effect of carbon dioxide. The resulting model, which consists of 75 species and 514 reactions, was used to conduct rate of production and sensitivity analysis in plug flow reactor simulations, and the results were used to determine the most prominent reactions in which hydrogen sulphide, molecular hydrogen, and sulphur monoxide are involved. The resulting list of important reactions was screened and the kinetics of three of them, i.e., SO2 + S2 → S2O + SO, S2O + S2 → S3 + SO, and SO + SH → S2 + OH, was found to warrant further investigation. With the goal of improving the accurancy of our new kinetic model, we carried out a robust quantum chemistry and Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus master equation study to obtain, for the first time, the forward and reverse rate constants for those three reactions at temperatures and pressures of interest for combustion and atmospheric chemistry. This work is the first step of a kinetic study that is aimed at improving the understanding of the chemistry of the pyrolysis and oxidation of H2S, highlighting the importance of sulphur-sulphur interactions and providing a fundamental basis for future kinetic models of H2S not only in the field of combustion, but also in atmospheric chemistry.

Oxygen fractionation in dense molecular clouds

We have developed the first gas-grain chemical model for oxygen fractionation (also including sulphur fractionation) in dense molecular clouds, demonstrating that gas-phase chemistry generates variable oxygen fractionation levels, with a particularly strong effect for NO, SO, O2, and SO2. This large effect is due to the efficiency of the neutral 18O + NO, 18O + SO, and 18O + O2 exchange reactions. The modeling results were compared to new and existing observed isotopic ratios in a selection of cold cores. The good agreement between model and observations requires that the gas-phase abundance of neutral oxygen atoms is large in the observed regions. The S16O/S18O ratio is predicted to vary substantially over time showing that it can be used as a sensitive chemical proxy for matter evolution in dense molecular clouds.

Air pollutants formed in thermal decomposition of folpet fungicide under oxidative conditions

This contribution studies the decomposition of folpet fungicide under oxidative conditions and compares the product species with those of captan fungicide, which is structurally related to folpet. Toxic products arising from folpet comprised carbon disulfide (highest emission factor of 4.9 mg g(-1) folpet), thiophosgene (14.4), phosgene (34.1), hydrogen cyanide (2.6), tetrachloroethylene (111), hexachloroethane (167), and benzonitrile (4.5). Owing to their related molecular structures, folpet emitted similar products to captan but at different yields, under the same experimental conditions. It appears that the availability of easily abstractable H atoms, in the structure of captan but not in that of folpet, defines the product distribution. In conjunction with the quantum chemical calculations, these experimental measurements afford an enhanced explanation of the formation pathways of hazardous decomposition products of these two structurally related fungicides.

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Rate Coefficients for the Reaction O(3P) + C2H5OH at High Temperatures

Rate coefficients of the reaction O(3P)+C2H5OH in the temperature range 782-1410 K were determined using a diaphragmless shock tube. O atoms were generated by photolysis of SO2 at 193 nm with an ArF excimer laser; their concentrations were monitored via atomic resonance absorption. Our data in the range 886-1410 K are new. Combined with previous measurements at low temperature, rate coefficients determined for the temperature range 297-1410 K are represented by the following equation: k(T)=(2.89+/-0.09)x10(-16)T1.62 exp[-(1210+/-90)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1); listed errors represent one standard deviation in fitting. Theoretical calculations at the CCSD(T)/6-311+G(3df, 2p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(3df) level predict potential energies of various reaction paths. Rate coefficients are predicted with the canonical variational transition state (CVT) theory with the small curvature tunneling correction (SCT) method. Reaction paths associated with trans and gauche conformations are both identified. Predicted total rate coefficients, 1.60 x 10(-22)T3.50 exp(16/T) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1) for the range 300-3000 K, agree satisfactorily with experimental observations. The branching ratios of three accessible reaction channels forming CH3CHOH+OH (1a), CH2CH2OH+OH (1b), and CH3CH2O+OH (1c) are predicted to vary distinctively with temperature. Below 500 K, reaction 1a is the predominant path; the branching ratios of reactions 1b,c become approximately 40% and approximately 11%, respectively, at 2000 K.

Experimental and theoretical studies of rate coefficients for the reaction O(3P)+CH3OH at high temperatures

Rate coefficients of the reaction O((3)P) + CH(3)OH in the temperature range of 835-1777 K were determined using a diaphragmless shock tube. O atoms were generated by photolysis of SO(2) with a KrF excimer laser at 248 nm or an ArF excimer laser at 193 nm; their concentrations were monitored via atomic resonance absorption excited by emission from a microwave-discharged mixture of O(2) and He. The rate coefficients determined for the temperature range can be represented by the Arrhenius equation, k(T) = (2.29 +/- 0.18) x 10(-10) exp[-(4210 +/- 100)T] cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1); unless otherwise noted, all the listed errors represent one standard deviation in fitting. Combination of these and previous data at lower temperature shows a non-Arrhenius behavior described as the three-parameter equation, k(T) = (2.74 +/- 0.07) x 10(-18)T(2.25 +/- 0.13) exp[-(1500 +/- 90)T] cm(3)molecule(-1) s(-1). Theoretical calculations at the Becke-3-Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP)6-311 + G(3df,2p) level locate three transition states. Based on the energies computed with coupled clusters singles, doubles (triples) [CCSD(T)]/6-311 + G(3df,2p)B3LYP6-311 + G(3df,2p), the rate coefficients predicted with canonical variational transition state theory with small curvature tunneling corrections agree satisfactorily with the experimental observations. The branching ratios of two accessible reaction channels forming OH + CH(2)OH (1a) and OH + CH(3)O (1b) are predicted to vary strongly with temperature. At 300 K, reaction (1a) dominates, whereas reaction (1b) becomes more important than reaction (1a) above 1700 K.

Cyanomethylidyne: A Reactive Carbyne Radical

The cyanomethylidyne radical (CCN) has been a long-standing subject of extensive structural and spectroscopic studies. However, its chemical reactivity has received rather little attention. Recently, we studied the reaction of CCN with the simplest alkane, CH4, which follows a mechanism of carbyne insertion-dissociation rather than that of direct H abstraction proposed by a recent experimental study. However, we are aware that alkanes like CH4 bear no electron lone pairs and thus are not ideal diagnostic molecules for distinguishing between the carbyne-insertion and H-abstraction mechanisms. Hence, we chose a series of sigma-bonded molecules HX (X=OH, NH2, and F) which bear electron lone pairs and are better diagnostics for carbyne-insertion behavior. The new results at the CCSD(T)/6-311+G(2df,p)//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p)+ZPVE, CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p)+ZPVE, G2M(CC1), and MC-QCISD//B3LYP/6-31G(d)+ZPVE levels definitively confirm the carbyne-insertion behavior of the CCN radical towards HX. In addition, we make the first attempt to understand the reactivity of the CCN radical toward pi-bonded molecules, using the CCN+C2H2 model reaction. This reaction involves carbenoid addition to the C[triple chemical bond]C bond without a potential-energy barrier to form a C3 three-membered cyclic intermediate followed by H extrusion. Therefore, the reactions of CCN with both sigma- and pi-bonded molecules conclusively show that CCN is a reactive carbyne radical and may be more reactive than the well-known CN radical. Future experimental studies, especially on product characterization, are strongly desired to test our proposed carbyne mechanism. The studied reactions of CCN with CH4, NH3, H2O, and C2H2 could be of interest to combustion science and astrophysics, and they could provide efficient routes to form novel cyano-containing molecules in interstellar space.

Experimental and theoretical investigations of rate coefficients of the reaction S([sup 3]P)+O[sub 2] in the temperature range 298–878 K

Rate coefficients of the reaction S+O(2) with Ar under 50 Torr in the temperature range 298-878 K were determined with the laser photolysis technique. S atoms were generated by photolysis of OCS with a KrF excimer laser at 248 nm; their concentration was monitored via resonance fluorescence excited by atomic emission of S produced from microwave-discharged SO(2). Our measurements show that k(298 K)=(1.92+/-0.29)x10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), in satisfactory agreement with previous reports. New data determined for 505-878 K show non-Arrhenius behavior; combining our results with data reported at high temperatures, we derive an expression k(T)=(9.02+/-0.27)x10(-19)T(2.11+/-0.15) exp[(730+/-120)/T] cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for 298< or =T< or =3460 K. Theoretical calculations at the G2M (RCC2) level, using geometries optimized with the B3LYP/6-311+G(3df) method, yield energies of transition states and products relative to those of the reactants. Rate coefficients predicted with multichannel RRKM calculations agree satisfactorily with experimental observations; the reaction channel via SOO(1A') dominates at T<500 K, whereas channels involving formation of SOO(3A") followed by isomerization to SO(2) before dissociation, and formation of SOO(1A") followed by direct dissociation, become important at high temperatures, accounting for the observed rapid increase in rate coefficient.