Canonical Transition State Theory Calculations Research Articles

Oxidation of the 1‐naphthyl radical C10H7• with oxygen: Thermochemistry, kinetics, and possible reaction pathways

AbstractThe reaction of the 1‐naphthyl radical C10H7• (A2•) with molecular (3O2) and atomic oxygen, as part of the oxidation reactions of naphthalene, is examined using ab‐initio and DFT quantum chemistry calculations. The study focuses on pathways that produce the intermediate final products CO, phenyl and C2H2, which may constitute a repetitive reaction sequence for the successive diminution of six‐membered rings also in larger polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The primary attack of 3O2 on the 1‐naphthyl radical leads to a peroxy radical C10H7OO• (A2OO•), which undergoes further propagation and/or chain branching reactions. The thermochemistry of intermediates and transition state structures is investigated as well as the identification of all plausible reaction pathways for the A2• + O2 / A2• + O systems. Structures and enthalpies of formation for the involved species are reported along with transition state barriers and reaction pathways. Standard enthalpies of formation are calculated using ab initio (CBS‐QB3) and DFT calculations (B3LYP, M06, APFD). The reaction of A2• with 3O2 opens six main consecutive reaction channels with new ones not currently considered in oxidation mechanisms. The reaction paths comprise important exothermic chain branching reactions and the formation of unsaturated oxygenated hydrocarbon intermediates. The primary attack of 3O2 at the A2• radical has a well depth of some 50 kcal mol−1 while the six consecutive channels exhibit energy barriers below the energy of the A2• radical. The kinetic parameters of each path are determined using chemical activation analysis based on the canonical transition state theory calculations. The investigated reactions could serve as part of a comprehensive mechanism for the oxidation of naphthalene. The principal result from this study is that the consecutive reactions of the A2• radical, viz. the channels conducting to a phenyl radical C6H5•, CO2, CO (which oxidized to CO2) and C2H2 are by orders of magnitude faster than the activation of naphthalene by oxygen (A2 + O2 → A2• + HO2).

High-Pressure-Limit and Pressure-Dependent Rate Rules for Unimolecular Reactions Related to Hydroperoxy Alkyl Radicals in Normal-Alkyl Cyclohexane Combustion. 2. Cyclization Reaction Class.

The hydroperoxy alkyl radicals are important intermediates in the low-temperature combustion for normal-alkyl cycloalkanes, and the cyclization reactions of hydroperoxy alkyl radicals to form cyclic ethers are responsible for a major fraction of the OH formation, which has the potential to promote ignition. In most of the previous modeling studies for normal-alkyl cycloalkane combustion, the kinetic data of the cyclization reactions in the detailed combustion mechanism were mainly taken from the analogous reactions in cyclohexane, methyl cyclohexane, and alkanes in published literature studies. In this work, the kinetics of the cyclization reaction class of hydroperoxy alkyl radicals in normal-alkyl cycloalkanes is studied, where the reaction class is divided into subclasses depending upon the ring size of the transition states, the types of the carbons on which the -OOH site is located and the types of the carbons on which the radical site is located, and the positions of the cyclization (on the alkyl side chain, on the cycle, or between the alkyl side chain and the cycle). Energy barriers and high-pressure-limit site rate constants and pressure-dependent rates for reactions in all subclasses are calculated, and rate rules for all subclasses are developed. The high-pressure-limit rate constants are determined from CBS-QB3 electronic structure calculations combined with canonical transition-state theory calculations, and pressure-dependent rate constants are calculated by using the Rice-Ramsberger-Kassel-Marcus/Master Equation theory at pressures varying from 0.01 to 100 atm. Comparisons of the rate constants for cyclization reactions of hydroperoxy alkyl cyclohexylperoxy radicals calculated in this work with the values of the corresponding reactions in some of the popular combustion mechanisms show that it is unreasonable to use the kinetic data of analogous reactions in alkanes, cyclohexanes, or smaller normal-alkyl cyclohexanes. Therefore, the accurate kinetic calculations and the construction of rate rules for normal-alkyl cycloalkanes are necessary and significant for the reliable modeling of the low-temperature combustion of normal-alkyl cyclohexanes.

H-X (X = H, CH3, CH2F, CHF2, CF3, and SiH3) Bond Activation by Criegee Intermediates: A Theoretical Perspective.

Using theoretical calculations and Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations, it is shown here that Criegee intermediate, which is principally produced in the olefin ozonolysis, can activate H-X (X = H, CH3, CH2F, CHF2, CF3, and SiH3) under mild conditions, a reaction that has long been known for transition metals. The zwitterionic electronic structure of Criegee intermediate makes it an interesting metal-free system for activating enthalpically strong small molecules such as H2, methane, silanes, and boranes. The calculated barriers for the H2 or SiH4 reactions of CH2OO are significantly lower than those for the CH4 or its fluorinated analogue reactions. The distortion-interaction energy model is found to be successful in explaining the differential reactivity of the Criegee intermediate toward activating the various H-X bonds. The canonical transition state theory calculations suggest that the CH2OO-H2 reaction is 9-11 orders of magnitude faster than the CH2OO-CH4 reaction over the 200-300 K temperature range. Considering that the laboratory synthesis of Criegee intermediate is now feasible, these findings may open up new vistas in the metal-free activation of small molecules.

Ab initio study of the influence of resonance stabilization on intramolecular ring closure reactions of hydrocarbon radicals.

The intramolecular ring closure reactions of unsaturated hydrocarbon radicals potentially play an important role for the formation of molecular weight growth species, especially during the pyrolysis and oxidation of alkenes under low to intermediate temperatures. In this work we investigated a series of intramolecular cycloaddition reactions of both allylic- and alkyl-type dienyl radicals. In the first set of reactions, a resonant linear radical is converted into a non-resonant cyclic radical. In the second set, a non-resonant linear alkenyl radical isomerizes to either a resonant cyclic radical or a cyclic carbinyl radical. In both cases, three different reaction schemes are examined based on the location of the partially-formed resonance structure in the cyclic transition state. For each reaction scheme, both the endo- and exo-pathways were investigated. High pressure rate parameters are obtained from the results of CBS-QB3 electronic structure calculations combined with canonical transition state theory calculations. The results are discussed in the context of a Benson-type model to examine the impact of the partially-formed resonance stabilization on both the activation energies and pre-exponential factors. The results are compared to previously reported rate parameters for cycloaddition reactions of alkenyl radicals. The differences in the activation energies are primarily due to the bimolecular component of the activation energy. However, in some cases, the presence of the partial resonance structure significantly increases the strain energy for the ring that is formed in the transition state. The pre-exponential factors are also impacted by the formation of a partial resonance structure in the transition state. Lastly, the C6H9 potential energy surface is examined to show how the trends that are outlined here can be used to estimate rate parameters, which are needed to analyze pressure-dependent reaction systems.

High-Pressure Rate Rules for Alkyl + O2 Reactions. 2. The Isomerization, Cyclic Ether Formation, and β-Scission Reactions of Hydroperoxy Alkyl Radicals

The unimolecular reactions of hydroperoxy alkyl radicals (QOOH) play a central role in the low-temperature oxidation of hydrocarbons as they compete with the addition of a second O(2) molecule, which is known to provide chain-branching. In this work we present high-pressure rate estimation rules for the most important unimolecular reactions of the β-, γ-, and δ-QOOH radicals: isomerization to RO(2), cyclic ether formation, and selected β-scission reactions. These rate rules are derived from high-pressure rate constants for a series of reactions of a given reaction class. The individual rate expressions are determined from CBS-QB3 electronic structure calculations combined with canonical transition state theory calculations. Next we use the rate rules, along with previously published rate estimation rules for the reactions of alkyl peroxy radicals (RO(2)), to investigate the potential impact of falloff effects in combustion/ignition kinetic modeling. Pressure effects are examined for the reaction of n-butyl radical with O(2) by comparison of concentration versus time profiles that were obtained using two mechanisms at 10 atm: one that contains pressure-dependent rate constants that are obtained from a QRRK/MSC analysis and another that only contains high-pressure rate expressions. These simulations reveal that under most conditions relevant to combustion/ignition problems, the high-pressure rate rules can be used directly to describe the reactions of RO(2) and QOOH. For the same conditions, we also address whether the various isomers equilibrate during reaction. These results indicate that equilibrium is established between the alkyl, RO(2), and γ- and δ-QOOH radicals.