Ab Initio and RRKM Study of the Reaction of ClO with HOCO Radicals

Theoretical Characterization of the Structure and Spectroscopy of HCNO2 Isomers and Applications

We carried out a theoretical, fully ab initio, investigation of the stable forms of the [H,C,N,O,O] pentatomic molecular system, whose isomers are involved in fundamental combustion and atmospheric processes and are of potential interest for astrophysics. By adopting the MP2 and CCSD(T) electronic structure methods, combined with extrapolations to the complete basis set (CBS) limit, we characterized 20 low-energy isomers, excluding weak van der Waals complexes. For these molecules, we determined a set of geometrical parameters, relative energies, anharmonic vibrational frequencies, IR intensities, and fragmentation/formation energies from various atomic and/or molecular fragments. We discuss the relevance of the present findings for the search of new molecular species in astrophysical and atmospheric media and give suggestions for their possible detection in laboratory experiments. The set of data provided by the present work should facilitate the identification of these species from their gas-phase and low-temperature solid matrix spectra, whenever measured.

High-resolution infrared spectroscopy of jet cooled trans-deuteroxycarbonyl (trans-DOCO) radical

The rovibrational spectrum of jet cooled trans-deuteroxycarbonyl (trans-DOCO) radical has been explored at suppressed-Doppler resolution via direct infrared absorption spectroscopy. The trans-DOCO is produced in a supersonic slit discharge of rare-gas/CO mixture doped with D₂O, whereby the OD forms an energized adduct with CO, cooling in the supersonic expansion and stabilizing DOCO in the trans well. Active laser-frequency stabilization and collisional quenching of Doppler broadening along the slit axis yield <10 MHz frequency precision, with the absorbance noise approaching the quantum shot-noise limit. The current high-resolution spectral results are in excellent agreement with recent studies of the trans-DOCO radical by infrared frequency comb spectroscopy under room temperature conditions [Bui et al., Mol. Phys. 116, 3710 (2018)]. Combined with previous microwave/millimeter wave rotational studies, the suppressed-Doppler infrared data permit characterization of the vibrational ground state, improved structural parameters for the OD stretch vibrational level, and trans-DOCO spin-rotation information in both ground and excited vibrational states. Additionally, the infrared data reveal a-type and much weaker b-type contributions to the spectrum, analysis of which yields orientation of the OD stretch transition dipole moment in the body fixed frame. Of dynamical interest is whether the nascent trans-DOCO complex formed in the entrance channel has sufficient time to convert into the cis-DOCO isomer, or whether this is quenched by rapid stabilization into the trans-DOCO well. Ab initio and Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus analysis of the intrinsic reaction coordinate for trans-DOCO to cis-DOCO interconversion rates supports the latter scenario, which helps explain the failure of previous high resolution infrared efforts to detect cis-hydroxycarbonyl.

Assessment of density-functionals for describing the X(-) + CH3ONO2 gas-phase reactions with X = F, OH, CH2CN

The energetics of the ECO2, SN2@C and SN2@N channels of X(-) + CH3ONO2 (X = F, OH, CH2CN) gas-phase reactions were computed using the CCSD(T)/CBS method. This benchmark extends a previous study with X = OH [M. A. F. de Souza et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2012, 134, 19004] and was used to ascertain the accuracy and robustness of nineteen density-functionals for describing these potential energy profiles (PEP) as well as the kinetic product distributions obtained from RRKM calculations. Assessments were based on the mean unsigned error (MUE), the mean signed error (MSE), the #best : #worst (BW) criterion and the statistical confidence interval (CI) for the MSE. In general, double-hybrid (DH) functionals perform better than the range-separated ones, and both are better than the global-hybrid functionals. Based on the MUE and CI criteria the B2GPPLYP, B2PLYP, M08-SO, BMK, ωB97X-D, CAM-B3LYP, M06, M08-HX, ωB97X and B97-K functionals show the best performance in the description of these PEPs. Within this set, the B2GPPLYP functional is the most accurate and robust. The RRKM results indicate that the DHs are the best for describing the selectivities of these reactions. Compared to CCSD(T), the B2PLYP method has a relative error of only ca. 1% for the selectivity and the accuracy to provide the correct conclusion concerning the nonstatistical behavior of these reactions.

Gas-phase nucleophilic and elimination reactions in simple alkyl nitrates

There has been increasing interest in the gas-phase reactivity of alkyl nitrates because of their well-known applications as explosives and because of their role in atmospheric and in marine processes. This manuscript describes an experimental study by FT-ICR techniques of the gas-phase reactions of OH(-) and F(-) with methyl and ethyl nitrate. For methyl nitrate, the main reaction channel is found to be an elimination process promoted by abstraction of an α proton from the methyl group. Nucleophilic displacement of nitrate anion through an S(N)2 process at the carbon center is also found to be an important reaction channel with methyl nitrate. In ethyl nitrate, formation of NO(3)(-) is greatly enhanced and this is attributed to the ease of an E2-type elimination process promoted by proton abstraction at the β position of the ethyl group. Theoretical calculations at the MP2/6-311+G(3df,2p)//MP2/6-31+G(d) level of theory are consistent with the relative importance of the reaction channels and suggest that these reactions proceed through a double well potential. The calculations also predict that nucleophilic attack by OH(-) at the nitrogen center (Sn2@N) is energetically the preferred pathway but experiments with (18)OH(-) showed no evidence for this channel. Single-point calculations reveal a strong preference for approach to the carbon center and may explain the lack of reactivity at the nitrogen center. Calculations were also carried out for NH(2)(-) and SH(-) to establish the reactivity pattern to provide a better understanding of environmentally relevant nitrate esters.

HOCO radical chemistry

Free radicals are important species in atmospheric chemistry, combustion, plasma environments, interstellar clouds, and biochemistry. Therefore, researchers would like to understand the formation mechanism, structure, stability, reactivity, spectroscopy, and dynamics of these chemical species. However, due to the presence of one or more unpaired electrons, radicals are often very reactive and have short lifetimes, which makes it difficult to conduct experiments. The HOCO radical appears in the atmosphere as well as in combustion environments and plays an important role in the conversion of CO to CO(2). Through the interplay between theoretical and experimental investigations, researchers have only recently understood the chemical role of the HOCO radical. In this Account, we systematically describe the current state of knowledge of the HOCO radical based on recent theoretical and experimental studies. This radical's two stable conformers, trans- and cis-HOCO, have been identified by high-level ab initio calculations and experimental spectroscopy. trans-HOCO is more stable by approximately 1.8 kcal/mol. The heat of formation of HOCO (298 K) was determined to be -43.0 ± 0.5 kcal/mol, giving a potential well depth of 30.1 ± 0.5 kcal/mol relative to the asymptote of the reactants OH + CO. The HOCO radical is very reactive. In most reactions between the HOCO radical and atoms, the HOCO radical acts as a hydrogen donor to reaction partners. Generally, the hydrogen is transferred through the formation of an association intermediate, which then proceeds through a molecular elimination step to produce the reaction products. The reaction rates of HOCO with some small radicals fall in the range of 10(-11)-10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). These results clearly illustrate important features in the reactivity of the HOCO radical with other molecules.