Ozonolysis reactions of monoterpenes: a variational transition state investigation

Theoretical Study of Hydroxylation of α- and β-Pinene by a Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase Model

Previous studies on biocatalytic transformations of pinenes by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes reveal the formation of different oxygenated products from a single substrate due to the multistate reactivity of CYP and the many reactive sites in the pinene scaffold. Up until now, the detailed mechanism of these biocatalytic transformations of pinenes have not been reported. Hereby, we report a systematic theoretical study of the plausible hydrogen abstraction and hydroxylation reactions of α- and β-pinenes by CYP using the density functional theory (DFT) method. All DFT calculations in this study were based on B3LYP/LAN computational methodology using the Gaussian09 software. We used the B3LYP functional with corrections for dispersive forces, BSSE, and anharmonicity to study the mechanism and thermodynamic properties of these reactions using a bare model (without CYP) and a pinene-CYP model. According to the potential energy surface and Boltzmann distribution for radical conformers, the major reaction products of CYP-catalyzed hydrogen abstraction from β-pinene are the doublet trans (53.4%) and doublet cis (46.1%) radical conformer at delta site. The formation of doublet cis/trans hydroxylated products released a total Gibbs free energy of about 48 kcal/mol. As for alpha pinene, the most stable radicals were trans-doublet (86.4%) and cis-doublet (13.6%) at epsilon sites, and their hydroxylation products released a total of ~50 kcal/mol Gibbs free energy. Our results highlight the likely C-H abstraction and oxygen rebounding sites accounting for the multi-state of CYP (doublet, quartet, and sextet spin states) and the formation of different conformers due to the presence of cis/trans allylic hydrogen in α-pinene and β-pinene molecules.

Kinetics and degradation of camphene with OH radicals and its subsequent fate under the atmospheric O2 and NO radicals - A theoretical study

Camphene (C₁₀H₁₆) is an abundant bicyclic monoterpene in the atmosphere which can be easily oxidized by the atmospheric OH radicals. In this study, the oxidation of camphene with OH radicals and its subsequent reactions are studied using quantum chemical method. Thermochemical parameters show that the addition of OH radicals to the terminal C10 atom of camphene is thermodynamically more stable than the addition of OH radicals to the internal C7 atom of camphene. The reaction force profile demonstrates that the formation of two hydroxyalkoxy radical intermediates (I1a and I2a) are mainly dominated by the structural rearrangement with 94.28% and 99.43% of the total energy, respectively. The overall reaction rate coefficient for camphene + OH radical is 2.1⨯10^-12 cm³ molecule^-1 sec^-1 at 298 K and 1 atm which agree well with the experimental reaction rate coefficient (5.58⨯10^-11 cm³ molecule^-1 sec^-1) for the reaction of camphene with OH radical. The branching ratio for the addition of OH radical to the C10 position of camphene is 68.32%, and the C7 position of camphene is 31.68% at 298 K. The calculated lifetime reveals that camphene degrades quickly in the atmosphere owing to its short lifetime of 5.3 h. The obtained mechanistic and kinetic results reveal that the addition of OH radical to the C10 position is more dominant than the C7 position, and it is more stable and spontaneous in the atmosphere.

Prediction of Rate Coefficients for the H2CO + OH → HCO + H2O Reaction at Combustion, Atmospheric and Interstellar Medium Conditions

Despite the relevance of the H₂CO + OH → HCO + H₂O reaction for combustion, atmospheric, and interstellar medium conditions, a large discrepancy on energetic and kinetic data for this reaction is still observed in the previous literature. In this work, this hydrogen abstraction reaction has been investigated at the CCSD(T)/CBS level of theory, suggesting that both the prebarrier complex and saddle point are stabilized in relation to the reactants by 3.31 and 1.35 kcal mol^-1, respectively. Moreover, from the Gibbs free energy profile of the reaction coordinate, it has been verified that the formation of the prebarrier complex is endergonic, for temperatures above 550 K. Hence, for temperatures lower than 550 K, the reaction is described by a mechanism consisting of three elementary steps, while for higher temperatures it can be assumed to be an elementary reaction. Finally, the prediction of rate coefficients suggests that unified statistical rate theory best applies to the low temperature regime, while canonical variational rate coefficients better fit experimental data at the high temperature regime.

Probing the Reactivity of Singlet Oxygen with Cyclic Monoterpenes

Monoterpenes represent a class of hydrocarbons consisting of two isoprene units. Like many other terpenes, monoterpenes emerge mainly from vegetation, indicating their significance in both atmospheric chemistry and pharmaceutical and food industries. The atmospheric recycling of monoterpenes constitutes a major source of secondary organic aerosols. Therefore, this contribution focuses on the mechanism and kinetics of atmospheric oxidation of five dominant monoterpenes (i.e., limonene, α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene, and camphene) by singlet oxygen. The reactions are initiated via the ene-type addition of singlet oxygen (O2 1Δg) to the electron-rich double bond, progressing favorably through the concerted reaction mechanisms. The physical analyses of the frontier molecular orbitals agree well with the thermodynamic properties of the selected reagents, and the computed reaction rate parameters. The reactivity of monoterpenes with O2 1Δg follows the order of α-pinene > sabinene > limonene > β-pinene > camphene, i.e., α-pinene and camphene retain the highest and lowest reactivity toward singlet oxygen, with rate expressions of k(T) (M-1 s-1) = 1.13 × 108 exp(-48(kJ)/RT(K)) and 6.93 × 108 exp(-139(kJ)/RT(K)), respectively. The effect of solvent on the primary reaction pathways triggers a slight reduction in energy, ranging between 12 and 34 kJ/mol.

Detailed kinetics of tetrafluoroethene ozonolysis

The C2F4 + O3 reaction plays an important role in the oxidation process of perfluoroalkenes in the atmosphere. The detailed reaction mechanism was explored using the accurate electronic structure method, CCSD(T)/CBS//B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ. The 1,3-cycloaddition of O3 with C2F4 to form the primary ozonide was found to be the rate-determining step of the oxidation process with a small barrier (i.e., 7.3 kcal mol-1 at 0 K). The temperature- and pressure-dependent behaviors of the title reaction were characterized in the range of 200-1000 K & 0.1-760 Torr using the integrated deterministic and stochastic master equation/Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (ME/RRKM) rate model with the inclusion of the corrections for anharmonicity and tunneling treatments. It is found that the anharmonic effect plays a role in the kinetic behaviors (e.g., lower the rate by a factor of ∼ two at 298 K) while the tunneling correction is insignificant. The total rate constants were found to be pressure-independent under the considered conditions, shown as ktot(T) = 4.80 × 10-23 × T2.69 × exp(-2983.4 K/T) (cm3 per molecule per s), which confirms the latest experimental data by Acerboni et al. (G. Acerboni, N. R. Jensen, B. Rindone and J. Hjorth, Chem. Phys. Lett., 1999, 309, 364-368); thus this study helps to resolve a long-term controversy among the previous measurements. The sensitivity analyses on the derived rate coefficients and time-resolved species mole fraction with respect to the ab initio input parameters were also performed to further understand as well as quantify the kinetic behaviors for the title reaction.

The ozonolysis of cyclic monoterpenes: a computational review

Monoterpenes are prevalent organic compounds emitted to the atmosphere, via biogenic activities in various types of plants. Monoterpenes undergo atmospheric decomposition reactions derived by the potent atmospheric oxidizing agents, OH, O3, and NOx. This review critically surveys literature pertinent to the atmospheric removal of monoterpenes by ozone. In general, the ozonolysis reactions of monoterpenes occur through the so-called Criegee mechanism. These classes of reactions generate a wide array of chemical organic and inorganic low vapor pressure (LVP) species. Carbonyl oxides, commonly known as Criegee intermediates (CIs), are the main intermediates from the gas-phase ozonolysis reaction. Herein, we present mechanistic pathways, reactions rate constants, product profiles, thermodynamic, and kinetic results dictating the ozonolysis reactions of selected monoterpenes (namely carene, camphene, limonene, α-pinene, β-pinene, and sabinene). Furthermore, the unimolecular (vinyl hydroperoxide and ester channels) and bimolecular reactions (cycloaddition, insertion, and radical recombination) of the resulting CIs are fully discussed. The orientations and conformations of the resulting primary ozonides (POZs) and CIs of monoterpenes are classified to reveal their plausible effects on reported thermokinetic parameters.

The quasi-unchanged gas-phase molecular structures of the atmospheric aerosol precursor β-pinene and its oxidation product nopinone

The rotational spectra of the two bicyclic molecules β-pinene and its oxidation product nopinone were investigated in the gas phase, using Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy coupled to a supersonic jet, in the 2-20 GHz range. The parent species and all heavy atom isotopologues have been observed in their natural abundance. The spectroscopic parameters of the ground states were determined from a Watson's Hamiltonian in the A reduction. The rotational constants were used together with geometrical parameters obtained from ab initio calculations to determine the r₀ and r structures of the skeletons, without any structural assumption in the fit concerning the heavy atoms. Comparison with solid phase and other bicyclic monoterpenes unveiled an unprecedented complete set of geometrical parameters for the rigid cages. The structures of β-pinene and nopinone are very close, except for the substituents at C₂. In the gas phase C₂ is a centre of planarity in both molecules.

OH-initiated mechanistic pathways and kinetics of camphene and fate of product radical: a DFT approach

Present manuscript represents the DFT studies on the oxidation reaction of camphene initiated by OH radical and fate of product radicals using M06-2X functional along with 6-31+G(d,p) basis set. Intrinsic reaction calculation is done for transition states involving OH-addition reactions which proceed via reaction complexes proceeding to the formation of transition states. The rate constant calculated by using canonical transition state theory at 298 K and 1 atm is found to be 5.67 × 10^-11 cm³ molecule^-1 s^-1 which is in good agreement with the experimental rate constant. The atmospheric lifetime of the titled molecule has also been reported in our work.

Mechanism of gas-phase ozonolysis of sabinene in the atmosphere

Sabinene is one of the monoterpenes of biogenic origin in the atmosphere. Ozonolysis is one of the important oxidation removal reactions for sabinene in the atmosphere during the daytime, leading to the formation of secondary organic aerosols. In this study, we investigate the mechanism of gas-phase ozonolysis of sabinene using quantum chemistry and kinetic calculations. The reaction starts with the formation of four primary ozonides (POZs), which decompose to primary product channels CH₂OO + sabinaketone and CH₂O + two Criegee intermediates (CI-1 and CI-2) with branching ratios of 17%, 45%, and 38%, respectively, at 298 K and 760 Torr. Calculations showed that the stabilized CI-1 would undergo a rapid intramolecular H-shift to a vinyl hydroperoxide (VHP) at a rate of ∼2700 s^-1 followed by rapid decomposition to an OH radical and a vinoxy-type radical (VTR) and CI-2 would slowly isomerize to dioxirane at a rate of 0.97 s^-1. In the atmosphere, CI-2 would instead react with water and the water dimer, forming α-hydroxyalkyl hydroperoxides (αHAHPs), which would decompose to sabinaketone and H₂O₂via heterogeneous processes. The reaction of CI-2 with SO₂ would also be significant in a dry and cold atmosphere. The yield of sabinaketone of 47%, from primary POZ decomposition and secondary reactions of αHAHPs, agrees with the previously measured values of 35-50%. The OH radical, formed from CI-1, could reach 44%, agreeing with the previously reported value of (33 ± 6)%. Further reaction of the VTR radical would form highly-oxidized multifunctional products containing carboxylic and/or carbonyl groups which might contribute substantially to SOA formation.

Variational transition state theory: theoretical framework and recent developments

This article reviews the fundamentals of variational transition state theory (VTST), its recent theoretical development, and some modern applications.

OH- and O3-initiated atmospheric degradation of camphene: temperature dependent rate coefficients, product yields and mechanisms

Gas-phase rate coefficients for the reactions of OH and O₃ with camphene have been measured over the temperature range 288–311 K using the relative rate method.

Computational investigation into the gas-phase ozonolysis of the conjugated monoterpene α-phellandrene

Reaction with ozone is a major atmospheric sink for α-phellandrene, a monoterpene found in both indoor and outdoor environments, however experimental literature concerning the reaction is scarce. In this study, high-level G4(MP2) quantum chemical calculations are used to theoretically characterise the reaction of ozone with both double bonds in α-phellandrene for the first time. Results show that addition of ozone to the least substituted double bond in the conjugated system is preferred. Following addition, thermal and chemically activated unimolecular reactions, including the so-called hydroperoxide and ester or 'hot' acid channels, and internal cyclisation reactions, are characterised to major first generation products. Conjugation present in α-phellandrene allows two favourable Criegee intermediate reaction pathways to proceed that have not previously been considered in the literature; namely a 1,6-allyl resonance stabilised hydrogen shift and intramolecular dioxirane isomerisation to an epoxide. These channels are expected to play an important role alongside conventional routes in the ozonolysis of a-phellandrene. Computational characterisation of the potential energy surface thus provides insight into this previously unstudied system, and will aid future mechanism development and experimental interpretation involving α-phellandrene and structurally similar species, to which the results are expected to extend.