Crossed Beam Reactions of the Phenyl (C6H5; X2A1) and Phenyl-d5 Radical (C6D5; X2A1) with 1,2-Butadiene (H2CCCHCH3; X1A′)

Gas Phase Formation of the Interstellar Molecule Methyltriacetylene

Methyltriacetylene - the largest methylated polyacetylene detected in deep space - has been synthesized in the gas phase via the bimolecular reaction of the 1-propynyl radical with diacetylene under single-collision conditions. The barrier-less route to methyltriacetylene represents a prototype of a polyyne chain extension through a radical substitution mechanism and provides a novel low temperature route, in which the propynyl radical piggybacks a methyl group to be incorporated into methylated polyynes. This mechanism overcomes a key obstacle in previously postulated reactions of methyl radicals with unsaturated hydrocarbon, which fail the inclusion of methyl groups into hydrocarbons due to insurmountable entrance barriers thus providing a fundamental understanding on the electronic structure, chemical bonding, and formation of methyl-capped polyacetylenes. These species are key reactive intermediates leading to carbonaceous nanostructures in molecular clouds like TMC-1.

Crossed beam polyatomic reaction dynamics: recent advances and new insights

This review summarizes the developments in polyatomic reaction dynamics, focusing on reactions of unsaturated hydrocarbons with O-atoms and methane with atoms/radicals.

Formation of 5- and 6-methyl-1H-indene (C10H10) via the reactions of the para-tolyl radical (C6H4CH3) with allene (H2CCCH2) and methylacetylene (HCCCH3) under single collision conditions

Flux contour map for the reactions of the p-tolyl radical with allene-d4 and methylacetylene-d4 at collision energies of around 48 kJ mol⁻¹.