A Single Transition State Serves Two Mechanisms. The Branching Ratio for CH2O•- + CH3Cl on Improved Potential Energy Surfaces

Kinetic Analysis of a Reaction Path Network Including Ambimodal Transition States: A Case Study of an Intramolecular Diels-Alder Reaction

This study proposes a methodology for the kinetic analysis of a reaction path network including ambimodal transition states (TSs), through which an ensemble of trajectories bifurcates to multiple minima in a phenomenon called dynamical bifurcation. The proposed methodology consists of three techniques: an automated reaction path search to construct a reaction path network including ambimodal TSs, an ab initio molecular dynamics simulation to evaluate the branching ratio, and the definition of rate constants incorporating this ratio. Applying the procedure to a Diels-Alder reaction, it was found that the inclusion of dynamical bifurcations is necessary to explain the experimental reaction yield of a byproduct. In addition, it was verified that the products take 10¹³ s to reach thermal equilibrium and that the experimental selectivity is determined by the dynamical bifurcations.

Ab Initio Direct Dynamics

The reactivity and dynamics of molecular systems can be explored computationally by classical trajectory calculations. The traditional approach involves fitting a functional form of a potential energy surface (PES) to the energies from a large number of electronic structure calculations and then integrating numerous trajectories on this fitted PES to model the molecular dynamics. The ever-decreasing cost of computing and continuing advances in computational chemistry software have made it possible to use electronic structure calculations directly in molecular dynamics simulations without first having to construct a fitted PES. In this "on-the-fly" approach, every time the energy and its derivatives are needed for the integration of the equations of motion, they are obtained directly from quantum chemical calculations. This approach started to become practical in the mid-1990s as a result of increased availability of inexpensive computer resources and improved computational chemistry software. The application of direct dynamics calculations has grown rapidly over the last 25 years and would require a lengthy review article. The present Account is limited to some of our contributions to methods development and various applications. To improve the efficiency of direct dynamics calculations, we developed a Hessian-based predictor-corrector algorithm for integrating classical trajectories. Hessian updating made this even more efficient. This approach was also used to improve algorithms for following the steepest descent reaction paths. For larger molecular systems, we developed an extended Lagrangian approach in which the electronic structure is propagated along with the molecular structure. Strong field chemistry is a rapidly growing area, and to improve the accuracy of molecular dynamics in intense laser fields, we included the time-varying electric field in a novel predictor-corrector trajectory integration algorithm. Since intense laser fields can excite and ionize molecules, we extended our studies to include electron dynamics. Specifically, we developed code for time-dependent configuration interaction electron dynamics to simulate strong field ionization by intense laser pulses. Our initial application of ab initio direct dynamics in 1994 was to CH₂O → H₂ + CO; the calculated vibrational distributions in the products were in very good agreement with experiment. In the intervening years, we have used direct dynamics to explore energy partitioning in various dissociation reactions, unimolecular dissociations yielding three fragments, reactions with branching after the transition state, nonstatistical dynamics of chemically activated molecules, dynamics of molecular fragmentation by intense infrared laser pulses, selective activation of specific dissociation channels by aligned intense infrared laser fields, angular dependence of strong field ionization, and simulation of sequential double ionization.

AFIR explorations of transition states of extended unsaturated systems: automatic location of ambimodal transition states

Based on the artificial force induced reaction (AFIR) method, we proposed a procedure to systematically explore ambimodal transition states (TSs) that cause the dynamical bifurcation.

Mechanistic and kinetic study of CH2O+O3 reaction

Both singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces for the reaction of ground-state formaldehyde (CH(2)O) and ozone (O(3)) are theoretically investigated at the BMC-CCSD//BHandHLYP/6-311+G(d,p) level. Various possible isomerization and dissociation pathways are probed. Hydrogen abstraction, oxygen abstraction, and C-addition/elimination are found on both the singlet and the triplet surfaces. The major products for the total reaction are HCO and HOOO, which are generated via hydrogen abstraction. The transition state theory (TST) and multichannel RRKM calculations have been carried out for the total and individual rate constants for determinant channels over a wide range of temperatures and pressures.

Large nonstatistical branching ratio in the dissociation of pentane-2,4-dione radical cation: an ab initio direct classical trajectory study

The dissociation of pentane-2,4-dione radical cation has been studied by ab initio direct classical trajectory calculations at the MP2/6-31G(d) level of theory. A bond additivity correction has been used to improve the MP2 potential energy surface (BAC-MP2). A microcanonical ensemble was constructed using quasiclassical normal-mode sampling by distributing 10 kcal/mol of excess energy above ZPE for the transition state for the tautomerization of the enol with a terminal double bond, 4-hydroxypent-4-en-2-one radical cation, to the diketo form. A total of 244 trajectories were run starting from this transition state, yielding pentane-2,4-dione radical cation and depositing energy in the terminal CC bond. As a result, the branching ratio for dissociation of the terminal CC bond versus the interior CC bonds is significantly larger than expected from RRKM theory. The branching ratio for the dissociation of the two interior CC bonds is ∼20:1, with the one closest to the activated methyl breaking more often. Since the two interior bonds are equivalent and should dissociate with equal probability, this branching ratio represents a very large deviation from statistical behavior. A simple kinetic scheme has been constructed to model the dissociation rates. The nonstatistical behavior is seen because the rate of energy flow within the molecule is comparable to or less than the rates of dissociation for the activated system. In addition to the expected dissociation products, some of the trajectories also lead to the formation of an ester-like product, prop-1-en-2-yl acetate radical cation.