Benchmarking the polyatomic reaction dynamics of X+methane

Abstract

With recent developments of sophisticated experimental techniques and advanced theoretical methods/computations, the field of chemical dynamics has reached the point that theory-experiment comparisons can be made at a quantitative level in very fine details for a prototypical A+BC system. As the system becomes larger, more degrees of freedom are involved and the complexity increases exponentially. At the same time, the multifaceted nature of polyatomic systems also opens up the possibilities for observing many new chemistry and novel phenomena—a land of opportunities. For the past 15 years or so my laboratory has delved into the reaction dynamics of methane+X (X: F, Cl, O(3P), and OH). This effort shifts the paradigm in the field of reaction dynamics by making the title reaction a benchmark polyatomic system. In this account, I shall disclose my thinking behind some of the key concepts and methods we introduced and how the unexpectedly discovered phenomena led to other uncharted territories. Those findings not only enrich our understanding of the specific reactions we studied at the most fundamental level and inspire the theoretical developments, but also shape our thinking and lay the foundation for future explorations of different aspects of the multifaceted nature of polyatomic reactivity.