Ab initio methods for reactive potential surfaces

High-Temperature Pyrolysis Study of 2-Methyl-2-butanol behind Reflected Shock Wave: Shock Tube and Computational Study

Pyrolysis of a branched alcohol, 2-methyl-2-butanol (2M2BOH), was carried out behind the reflected shock wave in the temperature range of 1011-1303 K and under pressures varying from 9.3 to 14.6 atm. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the postshock mixture was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector, respectively. The rate coefficients for the C-C and C-O bond cleavage reaction pathways were calculated using the variational transition-state theory. The Rice-Ramsperger-Kessel-Marcus/Master equation was employed to calculate the rate coefficients for the H2O-elimination reactions, unimolecular dissociation, and isomerization reaction pathways. The overall decomposition rate coefficient for the 2-methyl 2-butanol (2M2BOH) was estimated to be k t o t a l e x p t ( 1011 - 1303 K ) = ( 3.29 ± 0.73 ) × 10 11 × exp [ - ( 47.41 ± 0.53 T ) ] s - 1 , where activation energy is given in kcal mol-1. The reaction path analysis was performed, which gives information regarding the contribution of individual intermediate species toward the decomposition of 2M2BOH. A set of reactions was proposed and used to simulate the combustion chemistry of 2M2BOH, which consists of 48 reactions and 39 species. The experimentally measured and simulated mole fractions for the reactant and products showed reasonably good agreement. This work additionally investigates the effect of branching on the decomposition kinetics of long-chain alcohols.

Photophysical oxidation of HCHO produces HO2 radicals

Formaldehyde, HCHO, is the highest-volume carbonyl in the atmosphere. It absorbs sunlight at wavelengths shorter than 330 nm and photolyses to form H and HCO radicals, which then react with O2 to form HO2. Here we show HCHO has an additional HO2 formation pathway. At photolysis energies below the energetic threshold for radical formation we directly detect HO2 at low pressures by cavity ring-down spectroscopy and indirectly detect HO2 at 1 bar by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy end-product analysis. Supported by electronic structure theory and master equation simulations, we attribute this HO2 to photophysical oxidation (PPO): photoexcited HCHO relaxes non-radiatively to the ground electronic state where the far-from-equilibrium, vibrationally activated HCHO molecules react with thermal O2. PPO is likely to be a general mechanism in tropospheric chemistry and, unlike photolysis, PPO will increase with increasing O2 pressure.

Predicting third-body collision efficiencies for water and other polyatomic baths

Low-pressure-limit microcanonical (collisional activation) and thermal rate constants are predicted using a combination of automated ab initio potential energy surface construction, classical trajectories, transition state theory, and a detailed kinetic...

Quantum resonances and roaming dynamics in formaldehyde photodissociation

The unimolecular dissociation of formaldehyde is studied via excitation to the à band at several excitation energies from just below the ground state radical dissociation threshold to 5000 cm-1 above...

Ultrafast molecular dynamics in ionized 1- and 2-propanol: from simple fragmentation to complex isomerization and roaming mechanisms

Upon photoexcitation, molecules can undergo numerous complex processes, such as isomerization and roaming, leading to changes in the molecular and electronic structure. Here, we report on the time-resolved ultrafast nuclear dynamics, initiated by laser ionization, in the two structural isomers, 1- and 2-propanol, using a combination of pump-probe spectroscopy and coincident Coulomb explosion imaging. Our measurements, paired with quantum chemistry calculations, identify the mechanisms for the observed two- and three-body dissociation channels for both isomers. In particular, the fragmentation channel of 2-propanol associated with the loss of CH₃ shows possible evidence of methyl roaming. Moreover, the electronic structure of this roaming methyl fragment could be responsible for the enhanced ionization also observed for this channel. Finally, comparison with similar studies done on ethanol and acetonitrile helps establish a correlation between the length of the alkyl chain and the likelihood of hydrogen migration.

Statistical Analysis on Rate Parameters of the H2-O2 Reaction System

Quantitative rate determination of elementary reactions is a major task in the study of chemical kinetics. To ensure the fidelity of their determination, progressively tightened constraints need to be placed on their measurement, especially with the development of various notable experimental techniques. However, the evaluation of reaction rates and their uncertainties is frequently conducted with substantial subjectivity due to data source, thermodynamic conditions, sampling range, and sparsity. To reduce the extent of biased rate evaluation, we propose herein an approach of uncertainty-weighted statistical analysis, utilizing weighted average, and weighted least-square regression in statistical inference. Based on the backbone H₂/O₂ chemistry, rate data for each elementary reaction are collected from the time-history profile in shock tube experiments and high-level theoretical calculations, with their assigned weight inversely depending on uncertainty, which would overall avoid subjective assessments and provide more accurate rate evaluation. Aided by sensitivity analysis, the rates of a few key reactions are further constrained in the less investigated low- to intermediate-temperature conditions using high-fidelity flow reactor data. Good performance of the constructed mechanism is confirmed with validation against the target of the high-fidelity flow reactor data. This study demonstrates a systematic approach for reaction rate evaluation and uncertainty quantification.

Orbiting resonances in formaldehyde reveal coupling of roaming, radical, and molecular channels

[Figure: see text].

Reaction of the N Atom with Electronically Excited O2 Revisited: A Theoretical Study

The kinetics of the reaction of N with electronically excited O₂ (singlet a¹Δ_g and b¹Σ_g⁺ states), potentially relevant for NO_x formation in nonthermal air plasma, is theoretically studied using the multireference second-order perturbation theory. The corresponding thermodynamically and kinetically favored reaction pathways together with possible intersystem crossings are identified. It has been revealed that the energy barrier for the N + O₂(a¹Δ_g) → NO + O reaction is approximately twice the barrier height for the counterpart process with O₂(X³Σ_g^-). The molecular oxygen in the b¹Σ_g⁺ state, in turn, proved to be even less reactive to atomic nitrogen than O₂(a¹Δ_g). Appropriate thermal rate constants for specified reaction channels are calculated by the variational transition-state theory incorporating corrections for the tunneling effect, nonadiabatic transitions, and anharmonicity of vibrations for transition states and reactants. The corresponding three-parameter Arrhenius expressions for the broad temperature range (T = 300-4000 K) are reported. At last, post-transition-state molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the N + O₂(a¹Δ_g) reaction produces vibrationally much colder NO molecules than the N + O₂(X³Σ_g^-) process.

Thermal Decomposition of 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran behind Reflected Shock Waves over the Temperature Range of 1179-1361 K

The thermal unimolecular decomposition of 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF) was studied behind reflected shock waves in a single-pulse shock tube over the temperature range of 1179-1361 K and pressure range of 9-17 atm. Methane, ethylene, ethane, 1,3-butadiene, propylene, acetaldehyde, and acetylene were identified as products in the decomposition of 2-MTHF. A reaction scheme was proposed to explain the mechanism for the observed products. The experimentally determined rate coefficients were best fit to an Arrhenius expression for the overall decomposition and is represented as k_total^exp(1179-1361 K) = (3.23 ± 0.59) × 10¹¹ s^-1 exp(-51.3 ± 1.4 kcal mol^-1/RT). Quantum chemistry methods were used to calculate the energetics and kinetics of various possible unimolecular dissociation pathways involved in the thermal decomposition of 2-MTHF. The initial decomposition of 2-MTHF occurs predominantly via ring-methyl (C-CH₃) single bond fission, leading to the formation of tetrahydrofuran (C₄H₇O) radical, and methyl radical was found to be the major reaction compared to all the possible initial bond fission, ring opening, and molecular elimination channels. The temperature-dependent rate coefficients for the unimolecular dissociation of 2-MTHF were calculated using the RRKM (Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus) theory in combination with the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level of electronic structure calculations over the temperature range of 800-1500 K. The computed high-pressure limiting rate coefficients for the initial decomposition of 2-MTHF through C-CH₃ single bond fission channel were found to be ∼2 times higher in the temperatures between 800 and 900 K, and above this temperature, they agree well with the values reported in the literature.

Extreme Low-Temperature Combustion Chemistry: Ozone-Initiated Oxidation of Methyl Hexanoate

The accelerating chemical effect of ozone addition on the oxidation chemistry of methyl hexanoate [CH₃(CH₂)₄C(═O)OCH₃] was investigated over a temperature range from 460 to 940 K. Using an externally heated jet-stirred reactor at p = 700 Torr (residence time τ = 1.3 s, stoichiometry φ = 0.5, 80% argon dilution), we explored the relevant chemical pathways by employing molecular-beam mass spectrometry with electron and single-photon ionization to trace the temperature dependencies of key intermediates, including many hydroperoxides. In the absence of ozone, reactivity is observed in the so-called low-temperature chemistry (LTC) regime between 550 and 700 K, which is governed by hydroperoxides formed from sequential O₂ addition and isomerization reactions. At temperatures above 700 K, we observed the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) regime, in which the reactivity decreases with increasing temperatures, until near 800 K, where the reactivity increases again. Upon addition of ozone (1000 ppm), the overall reactivity of the system is dramatically changed due to the time scale of ozone decomposition in comparison to fuel oxidation time scales of the mixtures at different temperatures. While the LTC regime seems to be only slightly affected by the addition of ozone with respect to the identity and quantity of the observed intermediates, we observed an increased reactivity in the intermediate NTC temperature range. Furthermore, we observed experimental evidence for an additional oxidation regime in the range near 500 K, herein referred to as the extreme low-temperature chemistry (ELTC) regime. Experimental evidence and theoretical rate constant calculations indicate that this ELTC regime is likely to be initiated by H abstraction from methyl hexanoate via O atoms, which originate from thermal O₃ decomposition. The theoretical calculations show that the rate constants for methyl ester initiation via abstraction by O atoms increase dramatically with the size of the methyl ester, suggesting that ELTC is likely not important for the smaller methyl esters. Experimental evidence is provided indicating that, similar to the LTC regime, the chemistry in the ELTC regime is dominated by hydroperoxide chemistry. However, mass spectra recorded at various reactor temperatures and at different photon energies provide experimental evidence of some differences in chemical species between the ELTC and the LTC temperature ranges.

Quantum Chemical and Monte Carlo Simulation Studies on Inhibition Performance of Caffeine and Its Derivatives against Corrosion of Copper

Performance tests on caffeine’s corrosion inhibition properties and their derivatives against copper corrosion have been previously reported experimentally using gravimetric and electrochemical analyses. The test was able to measure the efficiency of their corrosion inhibition accurately. However, the caffeine and its derivatives’ structure patterns and coating mechanisms when interacting with metals during copper corrosion inhibition have not been explained in detail by experimental studies. In the present study, the theoretical density functional study (DFT), ab initio MP2, and Monte Carlo simulation approaches explain the problem. The geometrical and quantum chemical parameters of inhibitors were compared under normal and protonated conditions in the gas and aqueous environments. Theoretical studies can accurately determine the molecule’s geometrical parameters and successfully explain the quantum parameters of inhibitors. Molecular dynamics are applied to study the mechanism of interaction between inhibitors and metal surfaces in an explicit water molecule environment. The energy absorption of caffeine and its derivatives on metal surfaces was linear, with quantum parameters calculated from the density functional theory and an ab initio approach. Furthermore, these theoretical study results align with the previously reported experimental studies published by de Souza et al. The inhibition efficiency ranking of studied molecules preventing copper corrosion was caffeine > theobromine > theophylline. This theoretical approach is expected to bridge the gap in designing effective corrosion inhibitors.

Simplified Representation of Multichannel Thermal Unimolecular Reactions. II. Refined Parametrization of Formaldehyde Dissociation

Simplified representations of branching fractions for thermal unimolecular two-channel reactions are discussed. The dissociation of formaldehyde serves as an illustrative example. Quantum-corrected classical trajectory calculations on an ab initio potential energy surface are combined with master equation calculations for collisional energy transfer. The treatment accounts for roaming atom dynamics. The dependence of the channel branching fractions on the bath gas pressure and temperature, on the collision efficiencies, and on the difference of channel threshold energies, are explored. It is discussed to what extent the derived simplified representations of channel branching fractions can be generalized.

Roaming Reactions and Dynamics in the van der Waals Region

Roaming reactions were first clearly identified in photodissociation of formaldehyde 15 years ago, and roaming dynamics are now recognized as a universal aspect of chemical reactivity. These reactions typically involve frustrated near-dissociation of a quasibound system to radical fragments, followed by reorientation at long range and intramolecular abstraction. The consequences can be unexpected formation of molecular products, depletion of the radical pool in chemical systems, and formation of products with unusual internal state distributions. In this review, I examine some current aspects of roaming reactions with an emphasis on experimental results, focusing on possible quantum effects in roaming and roaming dynamics in bimolecular systems. These considerations lead to a more inclusive definition of roaming reactions as those for which key dynamics take place at long range.

CASSCF with Extremely Large Active Spaces Using the Adaptive Sampling Configuration Interaction Method

The complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) method is the principal approach employed for studying strongly correlated systems. However, exact CASSCF can only be performed on small active spaces of ∼20 electrons in ∼20 orbitals due to exponential growth in the computational cost. We show that employing the Adaptive Sampling Configuration Interaction (ASCI) method as an approximate Full CI solver in the active space allows CASSCF-like calculations within chemical accuracy (<1 kcal/mol for relative energies) in active spaces with more than ∼50 active electrons in ∼50 active orbitals, significantly increasing the sizes of systems amenable to accurate multiconfigurational treatment. The main challenge with using any selected CI-based approximate CASSCF is the orbital optimization problem; they tend to exhibit large numbers of local minima in orbital space due to their lack of invariance to active-active rotations (in addition to the local minima that exist in exact CASSCF). We highlight methods that can avoid spurious local extrema as a practical solution to the orbital optimization problem. We employ ASCI-SCF to demonstrate a lack of polyradical character in moderately sized periacenes with up to 52 correlated electrons and compare against heat-bath CI on an iron porphyrin system with more than 40 correlated electrons.

Reaction Profiles and Kinetics for Radical-Radical Hydrogen Abstraction via Multireference Coupled Cluster Theory

Radical-radical abstractions in hydrocarbon oxidation chemistry are disproportionation reactions that are generally exothermic with little or no barrier yet are underappreciated and poorly studied. Such challenging multireference electronic structure problems are tackled here using the recently developed state-specific multireference coupled cluster methods Mk-MRCCSD and Mk-MRCCSD(T), as well as the companion perturbation theory Mk-MRPT2 and the established MRCISD, MRCISD+Q, and CASPT2 approaches. Reaction paths are investigated for five prototypes involving radical-radical hydrogen abstraction: H + BeH → H₂+ Be, H + NH₂ → H₂ + NH, CH₃ + C₂H₅ → CH₄ + C₂H₄, H + C₂H₅ → H₂ + C₂H₄, and H + HCO → H₂ + CO. Full configuration interaction (FCI) benchmark computations for the H + BeH, H + NH₂, and H + HCO reactions prove that Mk-MRCCSD(T) provides superior accuracy for the interaction energies in the entrance channel, with mean absolute errors less than 0.3 kcal mol^-1 and percentage deviations less than 10% over the fragment separations of relevance to kinetics. To facilitate combustion studies, energetics for the CH₃ + C₂H₅, H + C₂H₅, and H + HCO reactions were computed at each level of theory with correlation-consistent basis sets (cc-pVXZ, X = T, Q, 5) and extrapolated to the complete basis set (CBS) limit. These CBS energies were coupled with CASPT2 projected vibrational frequencies along a minimum energy path to obtain rate constants for these three reactions. The rigorous Mk-MRCCSD(T)/CBS results demonstrate unequivocally that these three reactions proceed with no barrier in the entrance channel, contrary to some earlier predictions. Mk-MRCCSD(T) also reveals that the economical CASPT2 method performs well for large interfragment separations but may deteriorate substantially at shorter distances.

Universal crossed beam imaging studies of polyatomic reaction dynamics

Crossed-beam imaging studies of polyatomic reactions show surprising dynamics not anticipated by extrapolation from smaller model systems.

QSAR/QSPR models based on quantum chemistry for risk assessment of pesticides according to current European legislation

In Europe, agencies and official organizations involved in the pesticide control such as the EFSA, ECHA, JRC and ECETOC or even the OECD are pointing out that the software tools based on quantitative structure relationship models, i.e. QSAR and QSPR, have a huge potential to improve the pesticide risk assessment process. In this sense, these non-animal test methods can promote the competitiveness of agriculture in this region: the consumer safety is increased with them due to the possibility of perform an overall better risk assessment of the degradation products and metabolites from pesticides. However, the use of theses computational-based (in silico) tools must be much more systematised and harmonised, improving their validation and including case studies to test them. To open databases, incorporating critical data in an orderly manner for building the models, becomes also necessary. Moreover, quantum chemistry through the Density Functional Theory should be promoted as tool for calculation of quantum descriptors, especially for the study of similar compounds with the same carbon skeleton but differing substitution patterns, e.g. isomers.

Oxidation Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Resonance-Stabilized Radicals: The Pent-1-en-3-yl + O2 Reaction

The kinetics and thermochemistry of the pent-1-en-3-yl radical reaction with molecular oxygen (CH2CHCHCH2CH3 + O2) has been studied by both experimental and computational methods. The bimolecular rate coefficient of the reaction was measured as a function of temperature (198-370 K) and pressure (0.2-4.5 Torr) using laser photolysis-photoionization mass-spectrometry. Quantum chemical calculations were used to explore the potential energy surface of the reaction, after which Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus theory/master equation simulations were performed to investigate the reaction. The experimental data were used to adjust key parameters, such as well depths, in the master equation model within methodological uncertainties. The master equation simulations suggest that the formation rates of the two potential RO2 adducts are equal and that the reaction to QOOH is slower than for saturated hydrocarbons. The initial addition reaction, CH2CHCHCH2CH3 + O2, is found to be barrierless when accounting for multireference effects. This is in agreement with the current experimental data, as well as with past experimental data for the allyl + O2 reaction. Finally, we conducted numerical simulations of the pent-1-en-3-yl + O2 reaction system and observed significant amounts of penta-1,3-diene being formed under engine-relevant conditions.

Imaging the infrared multiphoton excitation and dissociation of propargyl chloride

Infrared multiphoton excitation is combined with UV excitation and state-resolved probes of Cl(²P_3/2), Cl*(²P_1/2), and HCl to study the photochemistry of propargyl chloride. The results show evidence both of infrared multiphoton dissociation on the ground electronic state and infrared multiphoton excitation followed by UV dissociation. The results are interpreted with the aid of a full characterization of the stationary points on the ground state using ab initio methods, as well as our recent experimental and theoretical characterization of the UV photochemistry of the molecule. The data suggest elimination of HCl on the ground electronic state produces linear propadienylidene as a coproduct over a roaming-like transition state that accesses the Cl-H-C abstraction geometry. This identification is supported by separate chirped-pulse microwave studies in a quasi-uniform flow also reported here.

What is special about how roaming chemical reactions traverse their potential surfaces? Differences in geodesic paths between roaming and non-roaming events

With the notable exception of some illustrative two-degree-of-freedom models whose surprising classical dynamics has been worked out in detail, theories of roaming have largely bypassed the issue of when and why the counterintuitive phenomenon of roaming occurs. We propose that a useful way to begin to address these issues is to look for the geodesic (most efficient) pathways through the potential surfaces of candidate systems. Although roaming manifests itself in an unusual behavior at asymptotic geometries, we found in the case of formaldehyde dissociation that it was the pathways traversing the parts of the potential surface corresponding to highly vibrationally excited reactants that were the most revealing. An examination of the geodesics for roaming pathways in this region finds that they are much less tightly defined than the geodesics in that same region that lead directly to dissociation (whether into closed-shell products or into radical products). Thus, the broader set of options available to the roaming channel gives it an entropic advantage over more conventional reaction channels. These observations suggest that what leads to roaming in other systems may be less the presence of a localized "roaming transition state," than the existence of an entire region of the potential surface conducive to multiple equivalent pathways.

Theories and simulations of roaming

The phenomenon of roaming in chemical reactions has now become both commonly observed in experiment and extensively supported by theory and simulations. Roaming occurs in highly-excited molecules when the trajectories of atomic motion often bypass the minimum energy pathway and produce reaction in unexpected ways from unlikely geometries. The prototypical example is the unimolecular dissociation of formaldehyde (H₂CO), in which the "normal" reaction proceeds through a tight transition state to yield H₂ + CO but for which a high fraction of dissociations take place via a "roaming" mechanism in which one H atom moves far from the HCO, almost to dissociation, and then returns to abstract the second H atom. We review below the theories and simulations that have recently been developed to address and understand this new reaction phenomenon.

Thermal Decomposition of Phosgene and Diphosgene

Phosgene (COCl₂) is a toxic compound used or formed in a wide range of applications. The understanding of its thermal decomposition for destruction processes or in the event of accidental fire of stored reserves is a major safety issue. In this study, a detailed chemical kinetic model for the thermal decomposition and combustion of phosgene and diphosgene is proposed for the first time. A large number of thermo-kinetic parameters were calculated using quantum chemistry and reaction rate theory. The model was validated against experimental pyrolysis data from the literature. It is predicted that the degradation of diphosgene is mainly ruled by a pericyclic reaction producing two molecules of phosgene and, to a lesser extent, by a roaming radical reaction yielding CO₂ and CCl₄. Phosgene is much more stable than diphosgene under high-temperature conditions, and its decomposition starts at higher temperatures. Decomposition products are CO and Cl₂. An equimolar mixture of the latter molecules can be considered as a surrogate of phosgene from the kinetic point of view, but the important endothermic effect of the decomposition reaction can lead to different behaviors, for instance, in the case of autoignition under high pressure and high temperature.

Shock Wave and Theoretical Modeling Study of the Dissociation of CH2F2. I. Primary Processes

The unimolecular dissociation of CH₂F₂ leading to CF₂ + H₂, CHF + HF, or CHF₂ + H is investigated by quantum-chemical calculations and unimolecular rate theory. Modeling of the rate constants is accompanied by shock wave experiments over the range of 1400-1800 K, monitoring the formation of CF₂. It is shown that the energetically most favorable dissociation channel leading to CF₂ + H₂ has a higher threshold energy than the energetically less favorable one leading to CHF + HF. Falloff curves of the dissociations are modeled. Under the conditions of the described experiments, the primary dissociation CH₂F₂ → CHF + HF is followed by the reaction CHF + HF → CF₂ + H₂. The experimental value of the rate constant for the latter reaction indicates that it does not proceed by an addition-elimination process involving CH₂F₂* intermediates, as assumed before.

A new (multi-reference configuration interaction) potential energy surface for H2CO and preliminary studies of roaming

We report a new global potential energy surface (PES) for H2CO, based on precise fitting of roughly 67 000 MRCI/cc-pVTZ energies. This PES describes the global minimum, the cis- and trans-HCOH isomers, and barriers relevant to isomerization, formation of the molecular (H2+CO) and radical (H+HCO) products, and the loose so-called roaming transition-state saddle point. The key features of the PES are reviewed and compared with a previous PES, denoted by PES04, based on five local fits that are 'stitched' together by switching functions (Zhang et al. 2004 J. Phys. Chem. A108, 8980-8986 (doi:10.1021/jp048339l)). Preliminary quasi-classical trajectory calculations are performed at the total energy of 36 233 cm-1 (103 kcal mol-1), relative to the H2CO global minimum, using the new PES, with a particular focus on roaming dynamics. When compared with the results from PES04, the new PES findings show similar rotational distributions, somewhat more roaming and substantially higher H2 vibrational excitation.This article is part of the themed issue 'Theoretical and computational studies of non-equilibrium and non-statistical dynamics in the gas phase, in the condensed phase and at interfaces'.

Competing pathways in the near-UV photochemistry of acetaldehyde

Time-resolved ion imaging measurements have been performed to explore the photochemistry of acetaldehyde at photolysis wavelengths spanning the range 265–328 nm.

Tailoring the electronic properties among oxoarsine, arsinoyl and arsine oxide isomers: the simplest molecular systems with an arsenic–oxygen bond

The main goal of this investigation is to understand the reaction pathways and the electronic and spectroscopy properties of AsOH_n radicals (n = 0–3), which are some of the simplest compound models with an arsenic–oxygen bond.

Kinetics of Propargyl Radical Dissociation

Due to the prominent role of the propargyl radical for hydrocarbon growth within combustion environments, it is important to understand the kinetics of its formation and loss. The ab initio transition state theory-based master equation method is used to obtain theoretical kinetic predictions for the temperature and pressure dependence of the thermal decomposition of propargyl, which may be its primary loss channel under some conditions. The potential energy surface for the decomposition of propargyl is first mapped at a high level of theory with a combination of coupled cluster and multireference perturbation calculations. Variational transition state theory is then used to predict the microcanonical rate coefficients, which are subsequently implemented within the multiple-well multiple-channel master equation. A variety of energy transfer parameters are considered, and the sensitivity of the thermal rate predictions to these parameters is explored. The predictions for the thermal decomposition rate coefficient are found to be in good agreement with the limited experimental data. Modified Arrhenius representations of the rate constants are reported for utility in combustion modeling.

Roaming dynamics in ion-molecule reactions: phase space reaction pathways and geometrical interpretation

A model Hamiltonian for the reaction CH4(+) -> CH3(+) + H, parametrized to exhibit either early or late inner transition states, is employed to investigate the dynamical characteristics of the roaming mechanism. Tight/loose transition states and conventional/roaming reaction pathways are identified in terms of time-invariant objects in phase space. These are dividing surfaces associated with normally hyperbolic invariant manifolds (NHIMs). For systems with two degrees of freedom NHIMS are unstable periodic orbits which, in conjunction with their stable and unstable manifolds, unambiguously define the (locally) non-recrossing dividing surfaces assumed in statistical theories of reaction rates. By constructing periodic orbit continuation/bifurcation diagrams for two values of the potential function parameter corresponding to late and early transition states, respectively, and using the total energy as another parameter, we dynamically assign different regions of phase space to reactants and products as well as to conventional and roaming reaction pathways. The classical dynamics of the system are investigated by uniformly sampling trajectory initial conditions on the dividing surfaces. Trajectories are classified into four different categories: direct reactive and non-reactive trajectories, which lead to the formation of molecular and radical products respectively, and roaming reactive and non-reactive orbiting trajectories, which represent alternative pathways to form molecular and radical products. By analysing gap time distributions at several energies, we demonstrate that the phase space structure of the roaming region, which is strongly influenced by nonlinear resonances between the two degrees of freedom, results in nonexponential (nonstatistical) decay.

Roaming as the dominant mechanism for molecular products in the photodissociation of large aliphatic aldehydes

Photodissociation of isobutyraldehyde (C₃H₇CHO) at 248 nm is investigated using time-resolved Fourier-transform infrared emission spectroscopy to demonstrate the growing importance of the roaming pathway with increasing molecular size of aliphatic aldehydes.