Unusual Insertion Mechanism in the Reaction C(3P) + H2 → CH + H

Dynamics and resonances of the H(2S) + CH+(X1Σ+) reaction in the electronic ground state: a detailed quantum wavepacket study

Initial state-selected and energy resolved channel-specific reaction probabilities, integral cross sections and thermal rate constants of the H(²S) + CH⁺(X¹Σ⁺) reaction are calculated within the coupled states approximation by a time-dependent wave packet propagation method. The new ab initio global potential energy surface (PES) of the electronic ground state (1 ²A') of the system, recently reported by Li et al. [J. Chem. Phys., 2015, 142, 124302], is employed for this purpose. All partial wave contributions up to the total angular momentum J = 60 are considered to obtain the converged integral reaction cross section up to a collision energy of 1.0 eV. Thermal rate constants are calculated by averaging the reaction cross sections over the Boltzmann distribution of energies and compared with the available theoretical and experimental results for the temperature range 10-1000 K. Investigation of the channel-specific reaction attributes shows that the H abstraction (CH⁺ destruction) channel is highly favored over the H exchange channel. The effect of rotational and vibrational excitations of the CH⁺ reagent on the dynamics is also studied. The resonances formed during the course of the reaction are also identified by calculating the transition state spectrum and characterized in terms of the eigenfunctions and lifetimes. More than 260 vibrational levels are obtained and their eigenfunctions are calculated, which are represented in terms of the nodal assignments and the eigenenergies. They reveal both the local and hyperspherical behavior for the bound and quasibound states of the CH₂⁺ complex in the ground 1 ²A' surface. The lifetime analysis of the quasibound states indicates that the CH₂⁺ resonances survive for as long as ∼400 fs at high energies (E ∼ 2.0 eV) and are expected to decay faster with further increasing energy. Finally, the type of mechanism for the formation of the product (C⁺ + H₂) is elucidated.

Dynamics of insertion reactions of H2 molecules with excited atoms

Recent progress in the study of insertion reactions of hydrogen molecules with excited atoms is reviewed in this article. In particular, the dynamics of the reaction of O(1D), N(2D), C(1D), and S(1D) with H2 and its isotopomers, which have received a great deal of attention over the past decade, are examined in detail. All of these systems have in common the existence of several potential energy surfaces (PES) correlating with the reagents' states, and consequently, they can give rise to reaction following different adiabatic and nonadiabatic pathways. The main contribution, however, arises from their ground singlet PESs which feature the existence of deep wells with small or null barriers for insertion. Accordingly, these reactions proceed mainly via formation of relatively long-lived collision complexes and display an overall nearly statistical behavior. In spite of their similarities, the various reactions have peculiar characteristics caused by important differences of their respective PESs. The contribution of excited PES to the global reactivity, which has also become an important issue and a challenge both for theory and experiment, is also examined. The different theoretical approaches are discussed in the text, along with the experimental results obtained by a variety of techniques. The recent exact quantum treatments of these reactive systems together with the development of a rigorous statistical model have contributed to a very accurate description which in many cases matches very well the detailed measurements. The quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) method has also provided a fairly accurate description of the reaction dynamics for these systems. In particular, the analysis in terms of collision times has yielded interesting clues about the reaction mechanisms.

Quantum mechanical and quasiclassical trajectory scattering calculations for the C(D1)+H2 reaction on the second excited 1A″1 potential energy surface

Time-independent quantum mechanical (QM) and quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) scattering calculations have been carried out for the C(1D) + H2 --> CH + H reaction at a collision energy of 80 meV on a newly developed ab initio potential energy surface [B. Bussery-Honvault et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 7, 1476 (2005)] of 1 1A" symmetry, corresponding to the second singlet state 1 1B1 of CH2. A general good agreement has been found between the QM and QCT rotational distributions and differential cross sections (DCSs). In both cases, DCSs are strongly peaked in the forward direction with a small contribution in the backward direction in contrast with those obtained on the 1 1A' surface, which are nearly symmetric. Rotational distributions obtained on the 1 1A" surface are somewhat colder than those calculated on the 1 1A' surface. The specific dynamics and the contribution of the 1 1A" surface to the overall reactivity of this system are discussed.