Exact state-to-state quantum dynamics of the F+HD→HF(v′=2)+D reaction on model potential energy surfaces

Quantum dynamics studies of isotope effects in the Mg+(3p) + HD → MgH+/MgD+ + D/H insertion reaction

The time-dependent wave packet quantum dynamics studies for the Mg+(3p) + HD → MgH+/MgD+ + D/H diabatic reaction are carried out for the first time on recently developed diabatic YHWCH potential energy surfaces [Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 6638-6647]. The results of reaction probabilities and total integral cross sections show a dramatic preference to the formation of MgD+ over MgH+ owing to the insertion reaction mechanism in the title reaction. The MgD+/MgH+ branching ratio witnesses a monotonic decrease from 10.58 to 3.88 at collision energy range of 0.01 to 0.20  eV, and at the collision energy of 0.114  eV, it is close to the experimental value of 5. The rovibrational state-resolved ICSs of the two channels show the products MgD+ have higher vibrational excitation and hotter rotational state distributions. The opacity function P(J) suggests that the MgH+ + D channel and MgD+ + H channel are dominated by high-b and low-b collisions, respectively. Both forward and backward scattering peaks are found in the differential cross section curves, whereas the angle distributions of products are not strictly forward-backward symmetric because of the short lifetime of the complex in the reaction.

Benchmark Quantum Kinetics at Low Temperatures toward Absolute Zero and Role of Entrance Channel Wells on Tunneling, Virtual States, and Resonances: The F + HD Reaction

This paper reports a study of the quantum reaction dynamics and kinetics of the F + HD reaction at low and ultralow temperatures, focusing on the range from the Wigner limit up to 50 K. Close coupling time-independent quantum reactive scattering calculations for the production of HF and DF molecules have been carried out on two potential energy surfaces differing in the description of the reaction entrance channel. This case is computationally more demanding than the cases of F with H₂ and D₂ ( De Fazio et al. Frontiers in Chemistry 2019 , 7 , 328 ) but offers a wider phenomenology regarding the roles of quantum mechanical effects of tunneling, of virtual states, and of resonances. The results show that at the temperatures in the cold and ultracold regimes small changes in the entrance channel long-range interaction induce surprising near threshold features. The presence of a virtual state close to the reactive threshold gives rise to a marked anti-Arrhenius behavior of the rate constants below 100 mK. This effect enhances reaction rates by about 2 orders of magnitude, making them of the same order as those at room temperature and confining the onset of the Wigner regime in the microkelvin region.

Quasi-Classical Trajectory Study of Atom-Diatomic Molecule Collisions in Symmetric Hyperspherical Coordinates: The F + HCl Reaction as a Test Case

We investigate the reactive dynamics of the triatomic system F + HCl → HF + Cl for total angular momentum equal zero and for different low-lying rovibrational states of the diatomic molecule. For each of the initial vibrational quantum numbers, the time evolution of the atom-diatom collision process is investigated for a wide range of impact angles and collision energies. To this purpose, the Quasi-Classical Trajectories (QCT) method was implemented in a hyperspherical configuration space. The Hamilton equations of motion are solved numerically in an intermediate effective Cartesian space to exploit the relative simplicity of this intermediate representation. Interatomic interactions are described by a London-Eyring-Polanyi-Sato potential energy surface, specifically developed for the title reaction, and the results of the QCT simulations are discussed in terms of the time-evolution of the hyperangles. The analysis of the collision dynamics using symmetric hyperspherical coordinates provides, in addition to the description in terms of a natural reaction coordinate (the hyperradius), a more striking representation of the exchange dynamics, in terms of the time-dependent probability distribution along the kinematic rotation hyperangle, and a precise distinction between direct and indirect mechanisms of the reaction.

State-to-State Dynamics of the Ne + HeH(+) (v = 0, j = 0) → NeH(+)(v', j') + He Reaction

The dynamics of the Ne + HeH(+)(v = 0, j = 0) → NeH(+)(v', j') + He reaction was analyzed in detail at the state-to-state level. A time-independent quantum mechanical (TIQM) method was applied to calculate rovibrational distributions and differential cross sections (DCSs), in comparison with quasi-classical trajectory and statistical quantum predictions. Possible changes in the dynamical mechanisms that define the process were also investigated as a function of the collision energy. At the lowest energy regime, the TIQM results produce a noticeably different cross section in comparison with previously reported time-dependent wave packet results. Although the statistical methods reproduce some dynamical features, especially as the energy increases, the marked preference for the forward scattering direction on the DCSs suggests that the reaction mainly follows a direct mechanism.

The H + HeH(+) → He + H2(+) reaction from the ultra-cold regime to the three-body breakup: exact quantum mechanical integral cross sections and rate constants

In this work, we present a quantum mechanical scattering study of the title reaction from 1 mK to 2000 K. Total integral cross sections and thermal rate constants are compared with previous theoretical and experimental data and with simpler theoretical models to understand the range of validity of the approximations used in the previous studies. The obtained quantum reactive observables have been found to be nearly insensitive to the roto-vibrational energy of the reactants at high temperatures. More sensitive to the reactant's roto-vibrational energy are the data in the cold and ultra-cold regimes. The implications of the new data presented here in the early universe scenario are also discussed and analyzed.

Complex angular momentum theory of state-to-state integral cross sections: resonance effects in the F + HD → HF(v′ = 3) + D reaction

State-to-state reactive integral cross sections (ICSs) are often affected by quantum mechanical resonances, especially in the neighborhood of a reactive threshold.

Theoretical reaction kinetics astride the transition between moderate and deep tunneling regimes: the F + HD case

For the reaction between F and HD, giving HF + D and DF + H, the rate constants, obtained from rigorous quantum scattering calculations at temperatures ranging from 350 K down to 100 K, show deviations from the Arrhenius behavior that have been interpreted in terms of tunneling of either H or D atoms through a potential energy barrier. The interval of temperature investigated extends from above to below a crossover value Tc, a transition temperature separating the moderate and deep quantum tunneling regimes. Below Tc, the rate of the H or D exchange reaction is controlled by the prevalence of tunneling over the thermal activation mechanism. In this temperature range, Bell's early treatment of quantum tunneling, based on a semiclassical approximation for the barrier permeability, provides a reliable tool to quantitatively account for the contribution of the tunneling effect. This treatment is here applied for extracting from rate constants properties of the effective tunneling path, such as the activation barrier height and width. We show that this is a way of parametrizing the dependence of the apparent activation energy on temperature useful for both calculated and experimental rate constants in an ample interval of temperature, from above to below Tc, relevant for modelization of astrophysical and in general very low-temperature environments.

The D(+) + H2 reaction: differential and integral cross sections at low energy and rate constants at low temperature

The D(+) + H2 reaction is investigated by means of a time independent quantum mechanical (TIQM) and statistical quantum mechanical (SQM) methods. Differential cross sections and product rotational distributions obtained with these two theoretical approaches for collision energies between 1 meV and 0.1 eV are compared to analyze the dynamics of the process. The agreement observed between the TIQM differential cross sections and the SQM predictions as the energy increases revealed the role played by the complex-forming mechanism. The importance of a good description of the asymptotic regions is also investigated by calculating rate constants for the title reaction at low temperature.

The He + H2+ → HeH+ + H reaction: ab initio studies of the potential energy surface, benchmark time-independent quantum dynamics in an extended energy range and comparison with experiments

In this work we critically revise several aspects of previous ab initio quantum chemistry studies [P. Palmieri et al., Mol. Phys. 98, 1835 (2000); C. N. Ramachandran et al., Chem. Phys. Lett. 469, 26 (2009)] of the HeH(2)(+) system. New diatomic curves for the H(2)(+) and HeH(+) molecular ions, which provide vibrational frequencies at a near spectroscopic level of accuracy, have been generated to test the quality of the diatomic terms employed in the previous analytical fittings. The reliability of the global potential energy surfaces has also been tested performing benchmark quantum scattering calculations within the time-independent approach in an extended interval of energies. In particular, the total integral cross sections have been calculated in the total collision energy range 0.955-2.400 eV for the scattering of the He atom by the ortho- and para-hydrogen molecular ion. The energy profiles of the total integral cross sections for selected vibro-rotational states of H(2)(+) (v = 0,...,5 and j = 1,...,7) show a strong rotational enhancement for the lower vibrational states which becomes weaker as the vibrational quantum number increases. Comparison with several available experimental data is presented and discussed.

The method of Gaussian weighted trajectories. V. On the 1GB procedure for polyatomic processes

In recent years, many chemical reactions have been studied by means of the quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) method within the Gaussian binning (GB) procedure. The latter consists of "quantizing" the final vibrational actions in Bohr spirit by putting strong emphasis on the trajectories reaching the products with vibrational actions close to integer values. A major drawback of this procedure is that if N is the number of product vibrational modes, the amount of trajectories necessary to converge the calculations is ∼10(N)×larger than with the standard QCT method. Applying it to polyatomic processes is thus problematic. In a recent paper, however, Czakó and Bowman propose to quantize the total vibrational energy instead of the vibrational actions [G. Czakó and J. M. Bowman, J. Chem. Phys. 131, 244302 (2009)], a procedure called 1GB here. The calculations are then only ∼10 times more time consuming than with the standard QCT method, allowing thereby for considerable numerical saving. In this paper, we propose some theoretical arguments supporting the 1GB procedure and check its validity on model test cases as well as the prototype four-atom reaction OH+D(2)→HOD+D.

A singularity model for chemical reactivity

This article proposes a model for chemical reactivity that involves singularities ("catastrophes") in the timing of bond-making and bond-breaking events. The common stapler is a good mechanical analogy: As hand-pressure is increased on the machine, the staple hardly changes its configuration until the staple suddenly bends. This is viewed as a singularity or catastrophe, defined classically as an abrupt change resulting from a smooth increase or decrease in external conditions (pressure in the case of a stapler, distance in the case of reactivity). Although experimental observations are provided to support the singularity effect, the model remains a heterodox notion at the present time.