Studies on the Kinetics of the CH + H2 Reaction and Implications for the Reverse Reaction, 3CH2 + H

The reaction of CH radicals with H₂ has been studied by the use of laser flash photolysis, probing CH decays under pseudo-first-order conditions using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) over the temperature range 298-748 K at pressures of ∼5-100 Torr. Careful data analysis was required to separate the CH LIF signal at ∼428 nm from broad background fluorescence, and this interference increased with temperature. We believe that this interference may have been the source of anomalous pressure behavior reported previously in the literature (Brownsword, R. A.; J. Chem. Phys. 1997, 106, 7662-7677). The rate coefficient k₁ shows complex behavior: at low pressures, the main route for the CH₃* formed from the insertion of CH into H₂ is the formation of ³CH₂ + H, and as the pressure is increased, CH₃* is increasingly stabilized to CH₃. The kinetic data on CH + H₂ have been combined with experimental shock tube data on methyl decomposition and literature thermochemistry within a master equation program to precisely determine the rate coefficient of the reverse reaction, ³CH₂ + H → CH + H₂. The resulting parametrization is k_CH2+H(T) = (1.69 ± 0.11) × 10^-10 × (T/298 K)^{(0.05±0.010)} cm³ molecule^-1 s^-1, where the errors are 1σ.

Capture and dissociation in the complex-forming CH(v = 0,1) + D2 → CHD + D, CD2 + H, CD + HD reactions and comparison with CH(v = 0,1) + H2

Rate coefficients for the CH(v = 0,1) + D(2) reaction have been determined for all possible channels (T: 200-1200 K), using the quasiclassical trajectory method and a suitable treatment of the zero point energy. Calculations have also been performed on the CH(v = 1) + H(2) reaction and the CH(v = 1) + D(2) → CH(v = 0) + D(2) process. Most of the results can be understood considering the key role played by the deep minimum of the potential energy surface (PES), the barrierless character of the PES, the energy of the reaction channels, and the kinematics. The good agreement found between theory and experiment for the rate coefficients of the capture process of CH(v = 0) + D(2), the total reactivity of CH(v = 1) + D(2), H(2), as well as the good agreement observed for the related CH(v = 0) + H(2) system (capture and abstraction), gives confidence on the theoretical rate coefficients obtained for the capture processes of CH(v = 1) + D(2), H(2), the individual reactive processes of CH(v = 1) + D(2), H(2), the abstraction and abstraction-exchange reactions for CH(v = 0) + D(2), and the inelastic process mentioned above, for which there are no experimental data available, and that can be useful in combustion chemistry and astrochemistry.

Capture and dissociation in the complex-forming CH + H2 → CH2 + H, CH + H2 reactions

The rate coefficients for the capture process CH + H(2)→ CH(3) and the reactions CH + H(2)→ CH(2) + H (abstraction), CH + H(2) (exchange) have been calculated in the 200-800 K temperature range, using the quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) method and the most recent global potential energy surface. The reactions, which are of interest in combustion and in astrochemistry, proceed via the formation of long-lived CH(3) collision complexes, and the three H atoms become equivalent. QCT rate coefficients for capture are in quite good agreement with experiments. However, an important zero point energy (ZPE) leakage problem occurs in the QCT calculations for the abstraction, exchange and inelastic exit channels. To account for this issue, a pragmatic but accurate approach has been applied, leading to a good agreement with experimental abstraction rate coefficients. Exchange rate coefficients have also been calculated using this approach. Finally, calculations employing QCT capture/phase space theory (PST) models have been carried out, leading to similar values for the abstraction rate coefficients as the QCT and previous quantum mechanical capture/PST methods. This suggests that QCT capture/PST models are a good alternative to the QCT method for this and similar systems.