Theoretical study of proton transfer in ammonium nitrate clusters

Computational chemistry of cluster: Understanding the mechanism of atmospheric new particle formation at the molecular level

New particle formation (NPF), which exerts significant influence over human health and global climate, has been a hot topic and rapidly expands field of research in the environmental and atmospheric chemistry recent years. Generally, NPF contains two processes: formation of critical nucleus and further growth of the nucleus. However, due to the complexity of the atmospheric nucleation, which is a multicomponent process, formation of critical clusters as well as their growth is still connected to large uncertainties. Detection limits of instruments in measuring specific gaseous aerosol precursors and chemical compositions at the molecular level call for computational studies. Computational chemistry could effectively compensate the deficiency of laboratory experiments as well as observations and predict the nucleation mechanisms. We review the present theoretical literatures that discuss nucleation mechanism of atmospheric clusters. Focus of this review is on different nucleation systems involving sulfur-containing species, nitrogen-containing species and iodine-containing species. We hope this review will provide a deep insight for the molecular interaction of nucleation precursors and reveal nucleation mechanism at the molecular level.

Mechanism study of ammonium nitrate decomposition with chloride impurity using experimental and molecular simulation approach

Fire/explosion due to ammonium nitrate (AN) decomposition poses significant safety hazards which are exacerbated in the presence of salts including potassium chloride (KCl). In this work, key thermal parameters of AN decomposition over a range of KCl mass fraction were experimentally measured using advanced reactive chemical screening tool (ARSST). Based on experimental findings and past literature review, AN/KCl decomposition mechanism was proposed consisting of four separate pathways, specifically, (i) direct AN main decomposition pathway, (ii) indirect AN main decomposition pathway via chlorine radical, (iii) direct pure AN side decomposition pathway and (iv) indirect AN side decomposition pathway via chlorine radical. Gaussian software was used to estimate activation energies for each reaction step involved in the proposed mechanism via density function theory (DFT). The computational chemistry model explained experimental data with good agreement. Both computational and experimental findings confirm that chlorine radical reduce reaction barrier of AN decomposition via indirect pathways (ii) and (iv). As these indirect decomposition pathways are more exothermic than the primary paths (i), (iii), KCl addition not only accelerates AN decomposition but also increases reaction heat release.

Energetics, Thermodynamics, and Hydrogen Bonding Diversity in Ammonium Halide Clusters

Contributions from different intermolecular and interionic forces, as well as variations in bond energies, produce size-dependent variations in the structures of acid-base molecular clusters. In this work the structures and interaction energetics of cluster particles with the nominal formulas (NH₄X)_n, X = (F, Cl, Br) are predicted using either "mag-walking" sawtooth simulated annealing Monte Carlo calculations or model building, followed by M06-2X or RI-MP2 geometry optimization and single-point energy calculations. Whereas the n = 1 clusters all exhibit a single hydrogen bond, small (NH₄F)_n particles (n = 2-5) exhibit three distinct types of hydrogen bonds as a function of size (traditional, ion-pair and proton-shared). However, (NH₄Br)_n and (NH₄Cl)_n particles (n = 2-13) all solely exhibit ion-pair hydrogen bonding, with even values of n exhibiting pronounced relative stability. The computed differential interaction energy of the bromide and chloride systems is generally near the bulk limit of the difference in their accepted lattice energies, despite the fact that their structures do not resemble the bulk crystal structures. Nanoparticle growth reactions are predicted to be thermodynamically spontaneous under standard conditions, with significant size and system dependencies. This work is designed to further our understanding of the nature of hydrogen bonding and other intermolecular forces, particularly within ionic nanocrystallites, as well as the thermodynamics of cluster formation.

Surface-active organic matter induces salt morphology transitions during new atmospheric particle formation and growth

The salt within an aerosol nucleus assumes a brine morphology in increasing presence of organic matter on the surface. This affects, in turn, the water uptake dynamics.

Development of a ReaxFF reactive force field for ammonium nitrate and application to shock compression and thermal decomposition

We have developed a new ReaxFF reactive force field parametrization for ammonium nitrate. Starting with an existing nitramine/TATB ReaxFF parametrization, we optimized it to reproduce electronic structure calculations for dissociation barriers, heats of formation, and crystal structure properties of ammonium nitrate phases. We have used it to predict the isothermal pressure-volume curve and the unreacted principal Hugoniot states. The predicted isothermal pressure-volume curve for phase IV solid ammonium nitrate agreed with electronic structure calculations and experimental data within 10% error for the considered range of compression. The predicted unreacted principal Hugoniot states were approximately 17% stiffer than experimental measurements. We then simulated thermal decomposition during heating to 2500 K. Thermal decomposition pathways agreed with experimental findings.

CONFORMATIONAL PROPERTIES AND INTRAMOLECULAR HYDROGEN BONDING OF 3-AMINO-PROPENESELENAL: AN AB INITIO AND DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY STUDIES

In the present work a conformational analysis of 3-amino-propeneselenal (APS) was performed using several computational methods, including DFT (B3LYP), MP2 and G2MP2. Harmonic vibrational frequencies were estimated at the same levels to confirm the nature of the stationary points found and also to account for the zero point vibrational energy (ZPVE) correction. Two intramolecular hydrogen bonds (HBs) established between the polar groups were identified by the structural geometric parameters. The excited-state properties of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in hydrogen bonded systems have been investigated theoretically using the time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method. The influence of the solvent on the stability order of conformers and the strength of intramolecular hydrogen bonding was considered using the polarized continuum model (PCM), the self-consistent isodensity polarized continuum model (SCI-PCM) and the integral equation formalism-polarizable continuum model (IEF-PCM) methods. The "atoms in molecules" theory of Bader was used to analyze critical points and to study the nature of HB in these systems. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was also performed for better understanding the nature of intramolecular interactions. The calculated the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies show that charge transfer occur within the molecule. Further verification of the obtained transition state structures were implemented via intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) analysis. Calculations of the 1 H NMR chemical shift at GIAO/B3LYP/6–311++G** level of theory are also presented.

Simulated annealing and density functional theory calculations of structural and energetic properties of the ammonium chloride clusters (NH4Cl)n, (NH4+)(NH4Cl)n, and (Cl-)(NH4Cl)n, n = 1-13

Simulated annealing Monte Carlo conformer searches using the "mag-walking" algorithm are employed to locate the global minima of molecular clusters of ammonium chloride of the types (NH(4)Cl)(n), (NH(4)(+))(NH(4)Cl)(n), and (Cl(-))(NH(4)Cl)(n) with n = 1-13. The M06-2X density functional theory method is used to refine and predict the structures, energies, and thermodynamic properties of the neutral, cation, and anion clusters. For selected small clusters, the resulting structures are compared to those obtained from a variety of models and basis sets, including RI-MP2 and B3LYP calculations. M06-2X calculations predict enhanced stability of the (NH(4)(+))(NH(4)Cl)(n) clusters when n = 3, 6, 8, and 13. This prediction corresponds favorably to anomalies previously observed in thermospray mass spectroscopy experiments. The (NH(4)Cl)(n) clusters show alternations in stability between even and odd values of n. Clusters of the type (Cl(-))(NH(4)Cl)(n) display a magic number distribution different from that of the cation clusters, with enhanced stability predicted for n = 2, 6, and 11. None of the observed cluster structures resemble the room-temperature CsCl structure of NH(4)Cl(s), which is consistent with previous work. Numerous clusters have structures reminiscent of the higher-temperature, rock-salt phase of the solid ammonium halides.

Thermochemistry of ammonium nitrate, NH₄NO₃, in the gas phase

Hildenbrand and co-workers have shown recently that the vapor above solid ammonium nitrate includes molecules of NH₄NO₃, not only NH₃ and HNO₃ as previously believed. Their measurements led to thermochemical values that imply an enthalpy change of D₂₉₈ = 98 ± 9 kJ mol⁻¹ for the gas-phase dissociation of ammonium nitrate into NH₃ and HNO₃. Using updated spectroscopic information for the partition function leads to the revised value of D₂₉₈ = 78 ± 21 kJ mol⁻¹ (accompanying paper in this journal, Hildenbrand, D. L., Lau, K. H., and Chandra, D. J. Phys. Chem. B 2010, DOI: 10.1021/jp105773q). In contrast, high-level ab initio calculations, detailed in the present report, predict a dissociation enthalpy half as large as the original result, 50 ± 3 kJ mol⁻¹. These are frozen-core CCSD(T) calculations extrapolated to the limiting basis set aug-cc-pV∞Z using an anharmonic vibrational partition function and a variational treatment of the NH₃ rotor. The corresponding enthalpy of formation is Δ(f)H₂₉₈°(NH₄NO₃,g) = −230.6 ± 3 kJ mol⁻¹. The origin of the disagreement with experiment remains unexplained.

Novel 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of dinitraminic acid: implications for the chemical stability of ammonium dinitramide

Density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level and ab initio calculations at the CBS-QB3 level have been used to analyze 1,3 dipolar cycloaddition reactions of dinitraminic acid (HDN) and its proton transfer isomer (HO(O)NNNO2). It is shown that the nitro group of HDN and the -N-N=O functionality of the isomer react readily with carbon-carbon double bonds. Cycloadditions of HDN are compared with the corresponding reactions with azides and nitrile oxides as 1,3 dipoles. It is shown that the reactivities of HDN and its proton transfer isomer decrease with increasing electron withdrawing power of the substituents adjacent to the carbon-carbon double bond. In contrast, for azides and nitrile oxides, the highest reactivity is obtained with dipolarophiles with strongly electron withdrawing substituents. The observed reactivity trends allow for the design of unsaturated compounds that are highly reactive toward azides and chemically inert toward dinitramides. This may be of relevance for the development of binder materials for ammonium dinitramide based propellants.

Anharmonic Effects in Ammonium Nitrate and Hydroxylammonium Nitrate Clusters

The covalent and ionic clusters of ammonium nitrate and hydroxyl ammonium nitrate are characterized using density functional theory and second-order vibrational perturbation theory. The most stable structures are covalent acid-base pairs for the monomers and ionic acid-base pairs for the dimers. The hydrogen-bonding distances are greater in the ionic dimers than in the covalent monomers, and the stretching frequencies are significantly different in the covalent and ionic clusters. The anharmonicity of the potential energy surfaces is found to influence the geometries, frequencies, and nuclear magnetic shielding constants for these systems. The inclusion of anharmonic effects significantly decreases many of the calculated vibrational frequencies in these clusters and improves the agreement of the calculated frequencies with the experimental data available for the isolated neutral species. The calculations of nuclear magnetic shielding constants for all nuclei in these clusters illustrate that quantitatively accurate predictions of nuclear magnetic shieldings for comparison to experimental data require the inclusion of anharmonic effects. These calculations of geometries, frequencies, and shielding constants provide insight into the significance of anharmonic effects in ionic materials and provide data that will be useful for the parametrization of molecular mechanical force fields for ionic liquids. Anharmonic effects will be particularly important for the study of proton transfer reactions in ionic materials.

Urea and Urea Nitrate Decomposition Pathways: A Quantum Chemistry Study

Electronic structure calculations have been performed to investigate the initial steps in the gas-phase decomposition of urea and urea nitrate. The most favorable decomposition pathway for an isolated urea molecule leads to HNCO and NH3. Gaseous urea nitrate formed by the association of urea and HNO3 has two isomeric forms, both of which are acid-base complexes stabilized by the hydrogen-bonding interactions involving the acidic proton of HNO3 and either the O or N atoms of urea, with binding energies (D0(o), calculated at the G2M level with BSSE correction) of 13.7 and 8.3 kcal/mol, respectively, and with estimated standard enthalpies of formation (delta(f)H298(o) of -102.3 and -97.1 kcal/mol, respectively. Both isomers can undergo relatively facile double proton transfer within cyclic hydrogen-bonded structures. In both cases, HNO3 plays a catalytic role for the (1,3) H-shifts in urea by acting as a donor of the first and an acceptor of the second protons transferred in a relay fashion. The double proton transfer in the carbonyl/hydrogen bond complex mediates the keto-enol tautomerization of urea, and in the other complex the result is the breakdown of the urea part to the HNCO and NH3 fragments. The enolic form of urea is not expected to accumulate in significant quantities due to its very fast conversion back to H2NC(O)NH2 which is barrierless in the presence of HNO3. The HNO3-catalyzed breakdown of urea to HNCO and NH3 is predicted to be the most favorable decomposition pathway for gaseous urea nitrate. Thus, HNCO + NH3 + HNO3 and their association products (e.g., ammonium nitrate and isocyanate) are expected to be the major initial products of the urea nitrate decomposition. This prediction is consistent with the experimental T-jump/FTIR data [Hiyoshi et al. 12th Int. Detonation Symp., Aug 11-16, San Diego, CA, 2002].

Analysis of oxidizer salt mixtures by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Binary aqueous mixtures of NaNO3, KNO3 and NaClO4 oxidizers were analyzed using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Sodium nitrate solutions were observed to form doubly charged clusters of the type [(NaNO3)n2Na]2+ and [(NaNO3)n2NO3]2-, where n = 11, 13, 15, etc., in addition to singly charged cluster ions that have been reported previously. The identity of the doubly charged clusters was determined by tandem mass spectrometry. Two-component NaNO3-KNO3 salt solutions were observed to form cluster ions of the type [(NaNO3)i(KNO3)jNO3]- in the negative ion mode and [(NaNO3)i(KNO3)jNa]+ and [(NaNO3)i(KNO3)jK]+ in the positive ion mode, where i + j = 1, 2, 3 ... 10. Two-component solutions of KNO3-NaClO4 formed ions of the type [(KNO3)i(NaClO4)j(KClO4)k(NaNO3)lK](+) and [(KNO3)i(NaClO4)j(KClO4)k(NaNO3)lNa]+ in the positive ion mode, where i + j + k + l = 1, 2, 3 ... 10. Similar clusters containing excess nitrate and perchlorate to provide the charge are formed in the negative ion mode. In each case, the maximum number of spectral lines for a cluster of size n can be calculated as the number of combinations of n(th) order (where n = i + j) of N different cation-anion pairs taken with replication and without regard for the ordering of the N cation-anion pairs. The actual number of lines observed may be reduced due to degeneracy of nominal m/z values for some ions.

Triazolium-Based Energetic Ionic Liquids

The energetic ionic liquids formed by the 1,2,4-triazolium cation family and dinitramide anion are investigated by ab initio quantum chemistry calculations, to address the following questions: How does substitution at the triazolium ring's nitrogen atoms affect its heat of formation, and its charge delocalization? What kind of ion dimer structures might exist? And, do deprotonation reactions occur, as a possible first step in the decomposition of these materials?

Density Functional Study on the Reaction Mechanism of Proton Transfer in 2-Pyridone: Effect of Hydration and Self-Association

The proton-transfer mechanism in the isolated, mono, dehydrated forms and dimers of 2-pyridone and the effect of hydration or self-assistance on the transition state structures corresponding to proton transfer from the keto form to the enol form have been investigated using B3LYP and BH-LYP hybrid density functional methods at the 6-311++G (2d, 2p) basis set level. The barrier heights for both H2O-assisted and self-assisted reactions are significantly lower than that of the bare tautomerization reaction from 2-pyridone to 2-hydroxypyridine, implying the importance of the superior catalytic effect of H2O and (H2O)2 and the important role of 2-pyridone itself for the intramolecular proton transfer. Long-range solvent effects have also been taken into account by using the continuum model (Onsager model and polarizable continuum model (PCM)) of water. The tautomerization energies and the potential energy barriers are increased both for the water-assisted and for the self-assisted reaction because of the bulk solvent, which imply that the tautomerization of PY becomes less favorable in the polar solvent.