Theoretical study and rate constant calculation of the CH2O+CH3 reaction

Abstract

The potential energy surface of the CH2O+CH3 reaction is explored at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p), MP4SDQ/6-311G(d,p), and QCISD(T)/6-311+G(3df,2p) (single point) levels of theory. Theoretical calculations suggest that the major product channel (R1) is the hydrogen abstraction leading to the product P1 CHO+CH4 (R1), while the addition process leading to P2H+CH3CHO (R2) appears to be negligibly small. The calculated enthalpies and dissociation activation energies for CH3CH2O and CH3OCH2 radicals involved in the reaction are in line with the experimental values. Dual-level dynamics calculation is carried out for the direct hydrogen abstraction channel. The energy profile of (R1) is refined with the interpolated single-point energies (ISPE) method at the QCISD(T)//MP2 level. The rate constants, which are evaluated by canonical variational transition-state theory (CVT) including small-curvature tunneling (SCT) correction, are in good agreement with the available experimental data. It is shown that tunneling effect plays a significant role in the rate constant calculation; and as a result, the CVT/SCT rate constants exhibit typical non-Arrhenius behavior over a wide temperature range 300–2000 K. The three parameter expression is k=6.35×10−26 T4.4 exp(−2450/T) cm3 molecule−1 s−1.