GAFF-IC: realistic viscosities for isocyanate molecules with a GAFF-based force field

A Theoretical Study on the Phosgenation of 2,4-Toluenediamine (2,4-TDA)

Industrially relevant phosgenation mechanisms of 2,4-toluenediamine (2,4-TDA) were investigated using G3MP2B3 model chemistry. Six reaction pathways had been explored, which resulted in the formation of toluene diisocyanate (2,4-TDI) including different scenarios of the ‘phosgenations first’ and ‘consecutive phosgenations’ mechanisms in both gas and condensed phases. Two possible ‘phosgenations first’ mechanisms show superior to the others in terms of energy, regardless of which phases are considered. Due to the o-dichlorobenzene (ODCB) solvation, the reaction barriers are dramatically reduced compared to the gas-phase reaction mechanism and the solvent effect can be described by linear relationship. Standard enthalpy of formation value was also recommended for 2,4-TDA (59.3 kJ/mol) and 2,4-TDI (−94.1 kJ/mol), as well as for the gas-phase intermediates (IM).

Current State and Perspectives of Simulation and Modeling of Aliphatic Isocyanates and Polyisocyanates

Aliphatic isocyanates and polyisocyanates are central molecules in the fabrication of polyurethanes, coatings, and adhesives and, due to their excellent mechanical and stability properties, are continuously investigated in advanced applications; however, despite the growing interest in isocyanate-based systems, atomistic simulations on them have been limited by the lack of accurate parametrizations for these molecular species. In this review, we will first provide an overview of current research on isocyanate systems to highlight their most promising applications, especially in fields far from their typical usage, and to justify the need for further modeling works. Next, we will discuss the state of their modeling, from first-principle studies to atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and coarse-grained approaches, highlighting the recent advances in atomistic modeling. Finally, the most promising lines of research in the modeling of isocyanates are discussed in light of the possibilities opened by novel approaches, such as machine learning.

Molecular Simulations of Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium of Isocyanates

The wide range of applications of the isocyanates across multiple industries sparks the interest in the study of their phase behavior. A molecular simulation is a powerful tool that can go beyond experimental investigations relying on a molecular structure of a chemical. The success of a molecular simulation relies on a description of the system, namely, force field, and its parameterization on reproducing properties of interest. In this work, we propose a united-atom force field based on the transferable potentials for phase equilibria (TraPPE) to model the vapor-liquid phase behavior of isocyanates. With Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulation methods and the introduced force field, we modeled vapor-liquid equilibrium for a family of linear mono-isocyanates, from methyl isocyanate to hexyl isocyanate, and hexamethylene diisocyanate. Additionally, we performed similar calculations for methyl, ethyl, and butyl isocyanates based on the all-atom GAFF-IC force field available in the literature for modeling isocyanate viscosities. We showed that the developed TraPPE-based force field generally overperformed the GAFF-IC force field and overall showed excellent performance in modeling phase behavior of isocyanates. Based on the simulated vapor pressures for the considered compounds, we estimated the Antoine equation parameters to calculate the vapor pressure in a range of temperatures. The predictions are of particular use in the investigation of thermodynamic properties for those isocyanates lacking experimental vapor pressure data. Results can also be employed in modeling the phase behavior of isocyanate mixtures to investigate their sensing and capturing. Furthermore, from the vapor-liquid equilibrium binodals, we predicted the critical properties of isocyanates which can be used in thermodynamic models based on an equation of state.

Urethane Formation with an Excess of Isocyanate or Alcohol: Experimental and Ab Initio Study

A kinetic and mechanistic investigation of the alcoholysis of phenyl isocyanate using 1-propanol as the alcohol was undertaken. A molecular mechanism of urethane formation in both alcohol and isocyanate excess is explored using a combination of an accurate fourth generation Gaussian thermochemistry (G4MP2) with the Solvent Model Density (SMD) implicit solvent model. These mechanisms were analyzed from an energetic point of view. According to the newly proposed two-step mechanism for isocyanate excess, allophanate is an intermediate towards urethane formation via six-centered transition state (TS) with a reaction barrier of 62.6 kJ/mol in the THF model. In the next step, synchronous 1,3-H shift between the nitrogens of allophanate and the cleavage of the C–N bond resulted in the release of the isocyanate and the formation of a urethane bond via a low-lying TS with 49.0 kJ/mol energy relative to the reactants. Arrhenius activation energies of the stoichiometric, alcohol excess and the isocyanate excess reactions were experimentally determined by means of HPLC technique. The activation energies for both the alcohol (measured in our recent work) and the isocyanate excess reactions were lower compared to that of the stoichiometric ratio, in agreement with the theoretical calculations.