Quantum dynamics of the D2+OH reaction

Thermal Rate Constants for Polyatomic Reactions: First Principles Quantum Theory

The truly accurate knowledge of molecular dynamics phenomena is generally achieved through a combination of detailed experiments and first principle theory. The complexity of such a level of description had until recently restricted accurate studies to rather small systems. However, the sophistication of theoretical methods and massive technological developments have provided remarkable progress in the detailed knowledge of reactive events during the past three decades. Moreover, significant progress towards the detailed understanding of polyatomic reaction has been made in recent years. Detailed experimental and accurate theoretical studies of reactions involving more than only three or four atoms are becoming increasingly available. In this work, aspects of the theoretical work aiming at the accurate description of polyatomic reactions are reviewed.

The present article focuses on the development of the first principle theory of reaction rates. It reviews theoretical developments and benchmark applications to reactions as CH4 + H → CH3 + H2 and CH4 + O → CH3 + OH. The importance of quantum effects for the thermal rate constants in different temperature regimes is discussed in detail. The accuracy of the classical transition state theory and of different approximate quantum theories is investigated in detail. A quantum transition state concept which facilitates accurate reaction rate calculations for polyatomic reaction is described. Benchmark results for the CH4 + H → CH3 + H2 reaction are shown which demonstrate that the accuracy of thermal rate constants calculated by first principle theory can rival the accuracy of available experimental data. The perspectives offered by these developments are discussed.

Seven-dimensional quantum dynamics study of the H+NH3-->H2+NH2 reaction

Initial state-selected time-dependent wave packet dynamics calculations have been performed for the H+NH3-->H2+NH2 reaction using a seven-dimensional model and an analytical potential energy surface based on the one developed by Corchado and Espinosa-Garcia [J. Chem. Phys. 106, 4013 (1997)]. The model assumes that the two spectator NH bonds are fixed at their equilibrium values. The total reaction probabilities are calculated for the initial ground and seven excited states of NH3 with total angular momentum J=0. The converged cross sections for the reaction are also reported for these initial states. Thermal rate constants are calculated for the temperature range 200-2000 K and compared with transition state theory results and the available experimental data. The study shows that (a) the total reaction probabilities are overall very small, (b) the symmetric and asymmetric NH stretch excitations enhance the reaction significantly and almost all of the excited energy deposited was used to reduce the reaction threshold, (c) the excitation of the umbrella and bending motion have a smaller contribution to the enhancement of reactivity, (d) the main contribution to the thermal rate constants is thought to come from the ground state at low temperatures and from the stretch excited states at high temperatures, and (e) the calculated thermal rate constants are three to ten times smaller than the experimental data and transition state theory results.

State-to-state quantum reactive scattering for four-atom chemical reactions: Differential cross section for the H+H2O→H2+OH abstraction reaction

The time-dependent wave packet method was extended to calculate the state-to-state differential cross section for the title four-atom abstraction reaction with H2O in the ground rovibrational state. One spectator OH bond length was fixed in the study, but the remaining five degrees of freedom were treated exactly. It was found that (a) the differential cross section changes from being strongly backward peaked at low collision energy to sideward scattering at E = 1.4 eV, and (b) the rotational state-resolved differential cross section for H2 differs substantially from that for OH.

Theories of reactive scattering

This paper is an overview of the theory of reactive scattering, with emphasis on fully quantum mechanical theories that have been developed to describe simple chemical reactions, especially atom-diatom reactions. We also describe related quasiclassical trajectory applications, and in all of this review the emphasis is on methods and applications concerned with state-resolved reaction dynamics. The review first provides an overview of the development of the theory, including a discussion of computational methods based on coupled channel calculations, variational methods, and wave packet methods. Choices of coordinates, including the use of hyperspherical coordinates are discussed, as are basis set and discrete variational representations. The review also summarizes a number of applications that have been performed, especially the two most comprehensively studied systems, H+H2 and F+H2, along with brief discussions of a large number of other systems, including other hydrogen atom transfer reactions, insertion reactions, electronically nonadiabatic reactions, and reactions involving four or more atoms. For each reaction we describe the method used and important new physical insight extracted from the results.

A full dimensional time-dependent wave packet study for the H4 four-center, collision induced dissociation, and single exchange reactions: reaction probabilities for J=0

A time-dependent initial state selected wave packet method has been developed to study the H2(v(1)=10-11,j1=0)+H2'(v2=0,j2=0)-->HH'+HH' four-center (4C) reaction, and two other competing reactions: the H2+H2'-->H+H+H2' collision induced dissociation (CID) and the H2+H2'-->H+HH'+H' single exchange (SE) reaction, in full six dimensions. Initial state-specific total reaction probabilities for these three competing reactions are presented for total angular momentum J=0 and the effects of reagent vibration on reactions are examined. It is found that (a) the CID process is the dominant process over the whole energy range considered in this study, but the 4C and SE processes also have non-negligible probabilities; (b) the SE process has a lower threshold energy than the 4C process, but the SE probability increases slower than the 4C probability as collision energy increases; (c) the vibrational excitation of H2(v1) is much more efficient than translational motion for promoting these processes, in particular to the CID process.

State-to-State integral cross section for the H+H2O-->H2+OH abstraction reaction

The initial state selected time-dependent wave-packet method was extended to calculate the state-to-state integral cross section for the title reaction with H2O in the ground rovibrational state on the potential energy surface of Yang, Zhang, Collins, and Lee. One OH bond length was fixed in the study, which is justifiable for the abstraction reaction, but the remaining 5 degrees of freedom were treated exactly. It was found that the H2 molecule is produced vibrationally cold for collision energy up to 1.6 eV. The OH rotation takes away about 4% of total available energy in the products, while the fraction of energy going to H2 rotation increases with collision energy to about 20% at 1.6 eV.

Breakdown of the spectator model for the OH bonds in studying the H+H2O reaction

The time-dependent wave packet method is used to study the exchange and abstraction processes for the H+H2O reaction with both OH bonds in the H2O reactant treated as reactive bonds in full dimension. The calculation clearly shows that it is necessary to treat both OH bonds in this way in order to accurately investigate the exchange process. However, for the abstraction process, the spectator model works very well. Nonreactive treatment of one OH bond by using a few vibrational basis functions or even freezing the bond can yield very accurate abstraction reaction probability.