Effect Of Isotopic Substitution Research Articles

Effects of Aqueous Isotopic Substitution on the Adsorption Dynamics and Dilational Rheology of β-Lactoglobulin Layers at the Water/Air Interface.

The effect of the degree of isotopic substitution of the aqueous medium on the adsorption kinetics and the surface dilational rheological behavior at the water/air interface of the globular protein β-lactoglobulin was investigated. Aqueous solutions with fixed concentrations of 1 μM protein and 10 mM hydrogenous buffer with controlled pH 7 were prepared in H2O, D2O, and an isotopic mixture of 8.1% v/v D2O in H2O (called air contrast matched water, ACMW). Using a bubble shape analysis tensiometer, we obtained various experimental dependencies of the dilational viscoelasticity modulus E as a function of the dynamic surface pressure and of the frequency and amplitude of bubble surface area oscillations, either in the course of adsorption or after having reached a steady state. In general, the results revealed virtually no effect from substituting H2O by ACMW but distinct albeit relatively weak effects for intermediate adsorption times for D2O as the aqueous phase. In the final stage of adsorption, established after around 10 h, the equilibrium adsorption and the dilational rheological behavior of all protein layers under investigation are only very weakly affected by the presence of D2O. The obtained results help to design experimental protocols for protein adsorption studies, for example, by neutron reflectivity.

Zero-point energy effects on the stability of water clusters: Implications on the uptake of hydrogen isotope substituted water on ice and clathrate hydrate phases

To study the effect of hydrogen isotope substitution on the uptake of water during formation of clathrate hydrates, the harmonic intermolecular librational modes of selected water clusters (X2O)n with n = 2–6 and hydrogen isotopes X = H, D, and T are studied. The effects of the quantum mechanical zero-point energy (ZPE) in each cluster on the binding energies of the H2O, D2O, and T2O clusters are determined, with ZPE leading to the smallest binding energies in the H2O clusters and the largest binding energies in the T2O clusters. Corrections for anharmonicity of the librational modes are considered, and these bring the frequency ranges of the calculated intermolecular librational modes in the clusters to the experimental ranges of the librational modes in the infrared spectra of H2O and D2O solid ice and clathrate hydrate phases, and liquid H2O water. These calculations show the expected ranges of the binding energy of tritiated water onto a solid ice and clathrate hydrate surface and can help quantify the isotopic enrichment on a growing clathrate hydrate phase from the solution.

Hyperfine excitation of NH and ND by molecular hydrogen

The NH and ND radicals are of key importance in the comprehension of nitrogen chemistry and the enhancement of deuterated molecules in the interstellar medium. Observations by space telescopes yield spectra that can resolve the fine and hyperfine structure of these radicals, a consequence of the electronic and magnetic interactions of nitrogen, hydrogen, and deuterium nuclei. Accurate rate coefficients, induced by collisions with H2, are required to interpret spectra of these radicals. We report the first rate coefficients for fine and hyperfine transitions of NH and ND in collision with both ortho- and para-H2. Based on a recent four-dimensional potential energy surface, fine-structure resolved cross sections and rate coefficients are computed with the time-independent close-coupling method over a temperature range of 5–300 K. Our calculations include the first 25 energy levels of NH and ND. Hyperfine resolved cross sections and rate coefficients are determined using the infinite-order sudden (IOS) approximation between 5 and 200 K for NH and 100 K for ND. We consider the first 71 and 105 energy levels of NH and ND, respectively. General propensity rules are discussed. We found a significant isotopic substitution effect in the rate coefficients. In addition, the rate coefficients for collisions with H2 are larger than those with He by a factor of up to 5, leading to lower critical densities for collisional excitation with H2 than He. The impact of the new set of collisional data has been investigated in simple radiative transfer models of the NH emission seen toward the Orion Bar and the ejecta of the η Carinae binary star. We observed significant differences by a factor of 5 between the presently determined column densities for NH compared to those from the literature using He as a collider.

Comprehensive high resolution study of the [formula omitted]SiH[formula omitted][formula omitted] tetradecad stretching bands: Appearance and applications of the isotopic substitution effect in molecules of spherical symmetry

A set of new relations between different spectroscopic parameters of the high symmetry XY4 spherical top molecules is derived on the basis of the general isotopic substitution theory, and a comprehensive high accurate analysis of the five stretching bands (the bands ν1+ν3(F2), 2ν3(F2), 2ν3(E), 2ν3(A1), and 2ν1(A1); the three latter ones are forbidden in absorption) of the tetradecad of the SiH4 molecule is made. The high resolution spectra of MSiH4(M=28,29,30) in their natural abundance were recorded with a Bruker IFS125 HR Fourier transform infrared spectrometer at the Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany with an optical resolution of 0.003 cm−1 and theoretically analyzed (in this case, for the first time both for all five bands of the 29SiH4 and 30SiH4 species, and for 2ν3(E), 2ν1(A1) bands of the 28SiH4 one). The number of 2713 transitions of the 28SiH4 species (which is more than fourteen times higher compared to analogous studies carried out earlier) belonging to all five ro-vibrational bands of the tetradecad (which are 272, 1897, 15, 369, and 160 transitions of the ν1+ν3(F2), 2ν1(A1), 2ν3(A1), 2ν3(F2), and 2ν3(E) bands) were assigned with the values of quantum number Jmin/Jmax = 5/22, 1/24, 14/20, 4/24, and 6/23, respectively. The analysis of the obtained experimental data was made on the basis of the Hamiltonian model which takes into account all effects and resonance interactions which are possible in such molecular system. The weighted fit of the 2713 transitions led to a set of 40 rotational, centrifugal distortion, tetrahedral splitting, and resonance interaction parameters which reproduce the initial experimental data with an accuracy of drms=4.11×10−4 cm−1. An analogous analysis was made for the two other isotopologues, 29SiH4 and 30SiH4, of silane. In this case, the initial values of the most important spectroscopic parameters of both species were theoretically estimated on the basis of results of the isotopic substitution theory. As the result of the analysis, two sets of the 12 spectroscopic parameters were obtained from the weighted fits for the 29SiH4 and 30SiH4 molecules which reproduce the 461 and 375 initial ro-vibrational transitions with the drms of 3.91×10−4 and 4.9710−4 cm−1.

Theoretical dynamics studies of the CH3 + HBr → CH4 + Br reaction: effects of isotope substitution and vibrational excitation of CH3.

The rate coefficient for two deuterium substituted isotopologues of reaction CH3 + HBr → CH4 + Br has been determined using the quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) method. We used the analytical potential energy surface (PES) fitted to high-level ab initio points in earlier work. The PES exhibits a pre-reaction van der Waals complex and a submerged potential barrier. The rate coefficients of the deuterated isotopologue reactions, similarly to the pure-protium isotopologue, show significant deviation from the Arrhenius law, namely, the activation energy is negative below about 600 K and positive above it: k[CH3 + DBr] = 1.35 × 10-11 exp(- 2472/T) + 5.85 × 10-13 exp(335/T) and k[CD3 + HBr] = 2.73 × 10-11 exp(- 2739/T) + 1.46 × 10-12 exp(363/T). The CH3 + DBr reaction is slower by a factor of 1.8, whereas CD3 + HBr isotopologue is faster by a factor of 1.4 compared to the HBr + CH3 system across a wide temperature range. The isotope effects are interpreted in terms of the properties of various regions of the PES. Quantum state-resolved simulations revealed that the reaction of CH3 with HBr becomes slower when any of the vibrational modes of the methyl radical is excited. This contradicts the assumption that vibrational excitation of methyl radicals enhances its reactivity, which is of historical importance: this assumption was used as an argument against the existence of negative activation energy in a decade-long controversy in the 1980s and 1990s.

SiV0 centres in diamond: effect of isotopic substitution in carbon and silicon.

The neutrally charged silicon-vacancy defect (SiV0) is a colour centre in diamond with spin S = 1, a zero-phonon line (ZPL) at 946 nm and long spin coherence, which makes it a promising candidate for quantum network applications. For the proper performance of such colour centres, all of them must have identical optical characteristics. However, in practice, there are factors that influence each individual centre. One of these factors is non-uniform isotope composition for both carbon atoms in diamond lattice and silicon atoms of dopant. In this work, we studied the isotopic shifts of SiV0 centres for CVD-grown epitaxial layers of isotopically enriched 12C and 13C diamonds, as well as for diamond with natural isotope composition but doped only with one isotope of Si (28Si, 29Si and 30Si). The detected shift was 1.60 meV for 12C/13C couple and 0.33 meV for 28Si/29Si and 29Si/30Si couples, which are close to the previously obtained values of the isotopic shift for the negatively charged silicon vacancy (SiV-), which indicates a similar model of interaction with the environment for these two charge states of the SiV colour centres. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Diamond for quantum applications'.

The effect of isotopic substitution on the excitation of CCS isotopologues in molecular clouds

ABSTRACT CCS(3Σ−) is one of the few molecules which presents many observable isotopologues, with the reported detection of 13CCS, C13CS, CC34S, and CC33S. The accurate determination of CCS isotopologues abundances enables the study of the isotopic fraction in media where they are detected, and gives insights into their formation pathways. The availability of collisional rate coefficients, that are prerequisite for accurate determination of their abundances in astrophysical media under non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions, allows drawing reliable conclusions on their abundances. In this study, fine and hyperfine-structure resolved excitation rate coefficients induced by collisions with helium are produced with a quantum approach for all detected CCS isotopologues for the 5–50 K temperature range. Radiative transfer models have been performed with the new data to discuss their impact on the excitation conditions of these species. The effect of the isotopic substitution appears to be weak between fine-structure rate coefficients. The observed lines of CCS, 13CCS, C13CS, and CC34S are found to be out of LTE conditions, and therefore, the proper determination of the abundance of CCS isotopologues in molecular clouds requires the use of the data produced in this work.

Hyperfine excitation of 13CCH and C13CH by collisions with para-H2

ABSTRACT The computation of hyperfine resolved cross sections and rate coefficients for open-shell molecules in collision with H2 is a true methodological and numerical challenge. Such collisional data are however required to interpret astrophysical observations. We report the first hyperfine resolved rate coefficients for (de-)excitation of 13CCH and C13CH isotopologues induced by collisions with para-H2. These calculations have been performed using a recently published C2H–H2 potential energy surface. Hyperfine resolved cross sections and rate coefficients between the first 98 energy levels of the two isotopologues were determined using a recoupling technique for temperatures ranging from 5 to 100 K. Significant isotopic substitution effects were found, showing the necessity of computing isotopologue specific collisional data. These rate coefficents have then been used in a simple radiative transfer modelling for typical molecular cloud conditions.

Estimation of frequency factors for the calculation of kinetic isotope effects from classical and path integral free energy simulations.

We use the modified Bigeleisen-Mayer equation to compute kinetic isotope effect values for non-enzymatic phosphoryl transfer reactions from classical and path integral molecular dynamics umbrella sampling. The modified form of the Bigeleisen-Mayer equation consists of a ratio of imaginary mode vibrational frequencies and a contribution arising from the isotopic substitution's effect on the activation free energy, which can be computed from path integral simulation. In the present study, we describe a practical method for estimating the frequency ratio correction directly from umbrella sampling in a manner that does not require normal mode analysis of many geometry optimized structures. Instead, the method relates the frequency ratio to the change in the mass weighted coordinate representation of the minimum free energy path at the transition state induced by isotopic substitution. The method is applied to the calculation of 16/18O and 32/34S primary kinetic isotope effect values for six non-enzymatic phosphoryl transfer reactions. We demonstrate that the results are consistent with the analysis of geometry optimized transition state ensembles using the traditional Bigeleisen-Mayer equation. The method thus presents a new practical tool to enable facile calculation of kinetic isotope effect values for complex chemical reactions in the condensed phase.

Selective carbon-hydrogen bond hydroxylation using an engineered cytochrome P450 peroxygenase

The cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP102A1 (P450BM3) is a versatile monooxygenase enzyme which has been adapted and engineered for multiple applications in chemical synthesis. Mutation of threonine 268 to glutamate (Thr268Glu) converted the heme domain of this enzyme into a H2O2 utilizing peroxygenase. This variant displayed significantly increased peroxide driven hydroxylation activity towards the saturated linear fatty acids tested (undecanoic through to hexadecenoic acid) when compared to the wild-type heme domain. The product distributions arising from fatty acid oxidation using this peroxygenase variant were broadly similar to those obtained with the wild-type monooxygenase holoenzyme, with oxidation occurring predominantly at the ω-1 through to ω-3 positions. 10-Undecenoic acid was regioselectively hydroxylated at the allylic ω-2 carbon by the Thr268Glu peroxygenase. The effect of isotopic substitution were measured using [9,9,10,10-d4]-dodecanoic acid. The kinetic isotope effect for both the monooxygenase and peroxygenase systems ranged between 7.9 and 9.5, with that of the peroxygenase enzyme being marginally lower. This highlights that carbon‑hydrogen bond abstraction is important in the mechanism of both the monooxygenase and peroxygenase systems. This would infer that the ferryl-oxo radical cation intermediate, compound I, is the likely reactive intermediate in both systems. The peroxygenase variant offers the possibility of simpler cytochrome P450 systems for selective oxidations. To demonstrate this we used this system to oxidize tetradecanoic acid using light driven generation of H2O2 by a flavin.

Theoretical kinetics investigations of the reaction HO + SO ↔ H + SO2 on an accurate full‐dimensional potential energy surface

AbstractThe reaction HO + SO → H + SO2 (Rt) and its reverse (R‐t) play an important role in environment and the combustion of sulfur‐containing fuels. However, their kinetics is of high uncertainty as its reaction profile is complicated with multiple deep complexes and channels. In this work, the kinetics and mechanisms of Rt and R‐t are studied comprehensively based on a newly developed full‐dimensional accurate potential energy surface (PES) with the aid of machine learning. This highly accurate PES is interfaced with the software Gaussian. Then reliable information, including the energy, structures, and vibrational frequencies of the stationary points, as well as the minimum energy path and variational analysis can be efficiently determined. The variational transition state theory (VTST) and Rice−Ramsperger−Kassel−Marcus (RRKM) theory are employed to obtain the rate coefficients of each elementary reaction. The temperature‐ and pressure‐dependent rate coefficients of Rt are derived by the RRKM‐based master equation with hindered rotor and free rotor model considered. In addition, the effect of isotope substitution for the hydrogen is investigated on the reaction kinetics. Meanwhile, the quasi‐classical trajectory (QCT) calculation is performed on the PES‐2020 to obtain the temperature‐dependent reaction kinetics.

Nuclear quantum dynamics in Hexamethylenetetramine and its deuterated counterpart: a DFT-augmented neutron study

Despite being one of the most thoroughly characterised molecular crystals, hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) and its deuterated counterpart (DHMT), are still not fully understood, especially regarding anharmonic and nuclear quantum effects. In this work, an unprecedented combination of experimental techniques, including neutron and x-ray diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering, neutron transmission, and Compton scattering, all augmented ab initio by harmonic lattice dynamics calculations, was applied. The main question that motivated the presented work was the interplay between the phonon anharmonicity and isotope and nuclear quantum effects related to the zero-point energies of proton and deuteron. Signatures of the combined effects of isotopic substitution, temperature, anharmonicity and nuclear quantum effects were found in data from all experimental methods. In the case of neutron and x-ray diffraction, these signatures manifested as systematic discrepancies between the structural and atomic displacement parameters and thermal diffuse scattering obtained from harmonic lattice calculations and their experimental counterparts. To this end, an important effect was found that could not have been explained by the harmonic lattice modelling; the reverse Ubbelohde effect, i.e. the observation that deuteration decreases hydrogen bond length in HMT. In the case of neutron transmission, further discrepancies between theoretical predictions and experimental data were found at cryogenic temperatures. Finally, applying the diabatic theory of the local potential of the intermolecular hydrogen bond in HMT, it was possible to elucidate the degree of anharmonicity of the C–H···N bonds by relating it to the magnitude of the vibrational isotope effect for the C–H bond stretching observed in inelastic and neutron Compton scattering experiments. It was found that the combined nuclear quantum and anharmonic effects of the protons (deuterons) in hydrogen bonds in HMT (DHMT) manifest as systematic discrepancies between the ab initio predictions for the widths of nuclear momentum distributions and the experimental values.

Isotope Substitution Effects on the Magnetic Compass Properties of Cryptochrome-Based Radical Pairs: A Computational Study.

The biophysical mechanism of the magnetic compass sense of migratory songbirds is thought to rely on the photochemical reactions of flavin-containing radical pairs in cryptochrome proteins located in the birds' eyes. A consequence of this hypothesis is that the effect of the Earth's magnetic field on the quantum yields of reaction products should be sensitive to isotopic substitutions that modify the hyperfine interactions in the radicals. In this report, we use spin dynamics simulations to explore the effects of 1H → 2H, 12C → 13C, and 14N → 15N isotopic substitutions on the functioning of cryptochrome 4a as a magnetic direction sensor. Two main conclusions emerge. (1) Uniform deuteration of the flavin chromophore appears to be the best way to boost the anisotropy of the magnetic field effect and to change its symmetry. (2) 13C substitution of three of the 12 flavin carbons, in particular C4, C4a, and C8α, seems to be the best recipe for attenuating the anisotropy. These predictions should give insight into the factors that control the magnetic sensitivity once spectroscopic techniques are available for measuring magnetic field effects on oriented protein samples.

Solvent and H/D Isotopic Substitution Effects on the Krichevskii Parameter of Solutes: A Novel Approach to Their Accurate Determination

We establish a direct route for the accurate determination of the solvent effect on the Krichevskii parameter of a solute, based solely on the contrasting solvation behavior of the solute in the desired solvent relative to that of the reference solvent, i.e., in terms of the distinct solvation Gibbs free energies of the solute and the corresponding Krichevskii parameters of an ideal gas solute in the pair of solvents. First, we illustrate the proposed approach in the determination of the H/D−solvent effect on the Krichevskii parameter of gaseous solutes in aqueous solutions, when the solvents are different isotopic forms (isotopomers) of water, and then, by generalizing the approach to any pair of solvents. For that purpose, we (a) identify the links between the standard solvation Gibbs free energy of the i−solute in the two involved solvent environments and the resulting Krichevskii parameters, (b) discuss the fundamentally based linear behavior between the Krichevskii parameter and the standard solvation Gibbs free energy of the i−solute in an α−solvent, and interpret two emblematic cases of solutions involving either an ideal gas solute or an i−solute behaving identically as the solvating species, as well as (c) provide a novel microstructural interpretation of the solvent effect on the Krichevskii parameter according to a rigorous characterization of the critical solvation as described by a finite unambiguous structure making/breaking parameter Siα∞(SR) of the i−solute in the pair of α−solvents.

Isotopic Signatures of Lithium Carbonate and Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate Measured Using Raman Spectroscopy.

Lithium isotopic ratios have wide ranging applications as chemical signatures, including improved understanding of geochemical processes and battery development. Measurement of isotope ratios using optical spectroscopies would provide an alternative to traditional mass spectrometric methods, which are expensive and often limited to a chemical laboratory. Raman spectra of 7Li2CO3, 6Li2CO3, 7LiOH*H2O, and 6LiOH*H2O have been measured to determine the effect of lithium isotope substitution on the Raman molecular vibrations. Thirteen peaks were observed in the spectrum of lithium carbonate, with discernable isotopic shifts occurring in eleven of the 13 vibrations, two of which have not been previously reported in the literature. The spectrum of lithium hydroxide monohydrate contained nine peaks, with discernable isotopic shifts occurring in eight of the nine vibrations, four of which have not been previously reported in the literature. The Raman spectral data reported here for lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide monohydrate are in agreement with the previously reported works in the literature, in which the Raman active modes of these molecules were first identified and assigned. However, due to the stability and resolution of the detection system used in this work, isotopic shifts with a magnitude less than one wavenumber have been identified. Principal component regression was used to evaluate the sensitivity to isotopic content of small Raman peak shifts in Li2CO3 and indicates differences greater than 2 atom% could be reliably determined. These measurements add to the body of work on lithium isotope Raman spectroscopy for these two compounds and increases the number of Raman bands which could be used for lithium isotope content analysis.

Carbon Dioxide Activation by Alkaline-Earth Metals: Formation and Spectroscopic Characterization of OCMCO3 and MC2O4 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba) in Solid Neon.

The reactions of alkaline-earth metal atoms (Ca, Sr, and Ba) with carbon dioxide are investigated using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy in solid neon. The ground-state metal atoms react with two carbon dioxide molecules to produce the oxalate complexes MC2O4 and the carbonate-carbonyl complexes OCMCO3 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba) spontaneously on annealing. The species are identified by the effects of isotopic substitution on their infrared spectra as well as density functional calculations. Bonding analyses reveal that the attractive forces between M2+ and (CO3)2- or (C2O4)2- in the OCMCO3 and MC2O4 complexes come mainly from electrostatic attraction, but covalent orbital interactions also play an important role, which are dominated by the ligand-to-metal donation bonding. The calcium, strontium, and barium metal centers in these complexes use their ns and predominately (n - 1)d atomic orbitals for covalent bonding that mimic transition metals.

Ultrafast vibrational dynamics of the free OD at the air/water interface: Negligible isotopic dilution effect but large isotope substitution effect.

Vibrational relaxation dynamics of the OH stretch of water at the air/water interface has been a subject of intensive research, facilitated by recent developments in ultrafast interface-selective nonlinear spectroscopy. However, a reliable determination of the vibrational relaxation dynamics in the OD stretch region at the air/D2O interface has not been yet achieved. Here, we report a study of the vibrational relaxation of the free OD carried out by time-resolved heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy. The results obtained with the aid of singular value decomposition analysis indicate that the vibrational relaxation (T1) time of the free OD at the air/D2O interface and air/isotopically diluted water (HOD-H2O) interfaces show no detectable isotopic dilution effect within the experimental error, as in the case of the free OH in the OH stretch region. Thus, it is concluded that the relaxation of the excited free OH/OD predominantly proceeds with their reorientation, negating a major contribution of the intramolecular energy transfer. It is also shown that the T1 time of the free OD is substantially longer than that of the free OH, further supporting the reorientation relaxation mechanism. The large difference in the T1 time between the free OD and the free OH (factor of ∼2) may indicate the nuclear quantum effect on the diffusive reorientation of the free OD/OH because this difference is significantly larger than the value expected for a classical rotational motion.

Evidence of a liquid\u2013liquid phase transition in H_2O and D_2O from path-integral molecular dynamics simulations

We perform path-integral molecular dynamics (PIMD), ring-polymer MD (RPMD), and classical MD simulations of H_2O and D_2O using the q-TIP4P/F water model over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The density rho (T), isothermal compressibility kappa _T(T), and self-diffusion coefficients D(T) of H_2O and D_2O are in excellent agreement with available experimental data; the isobaric heat capacity C_P(T) obtained from PIMD and MD simulations agree qualitatively well with the experiments. Some of these thermodynamic properties exhibit anomalous maxima upon isobaric cooling, consistent with recent experiments and with the possibility that H_2O and D_2O exhibit a liquid-liquid critical point (LLCP) at low temperatures and positive pressures. The data from PIMD/MD for H_2O and D_2O can be fitted remarkably well using the Two-State-Equation-of-State (TSEOS). Using the TSEOS, we estimate that the LLCP for q-TIP4P/F H_2O, from PIMD simulations, is located at P_c = 167 pm 9 MPa, T_c = 159 pm 6 K, and rho _c = 1.02 pm 0.01 g/cm^3. Isotope substitution effects are important; the LLCP location in q-TIP4P/F D_2O is estimated to be P_c = 176 pm 4 MPa, T_c = 177 pm 2 K, and rho _c = 1.13 pm 0.01 g/cm^3. Interestingly, for the water model studied, differences in the LLCP location from PIMD and MD simulations suggest that nuclear quantum effects (i.e., atoms delocalization) play an important role in the thermodynamics of water around the LLCP (from the MD simulations of q-TIP4P/F water, P_c = 203 pm 4 MPa, T_c = 175 pm 2 K, and rho _c = 1.03 pm 0.01 g/cm^3). Overall, our results strongly support the LLPT scenario to explain water anomalous behavior, independently of the fundamental differences between classical MD and PIMD techniques. The reported values of T_c for D_2O and, particularly, H_2O suggest that improved water models are needed for the study of supercooled water.

A neural network potential energy surface and quantum dynamics studies for the Ca+(2S) + H2 → CaH+ + H reaction.

Reactive collisions of Ca+ ions with H2 molecules play a crucial role in ultracold chemistry, quantum information and other cutting-edge fields, and have been widely studied experimentally, but the corresponding theoretical studies have not been reported due to the lack of an applicable potential energy surface (PES). Herein, a globally accurate PES of the ground-state CaH2+ is constructed using the permutation invariant polynomial neural network method based on 27 780 ab initio points calculated at the multi-reference configuration interaction level. On the new PES, the quantum time-dependent wave packet calculations are performed to study the dynamics mechanisms of the Ca+(2S) + H2(ν0 = 0, j0 = 0) → CaH+ + H reaction. The calculated results suggest that the reaction follows a direct abstraction process when the collision energy is below 5.0 eV. The dynamics results would have a great reference significance for the experimental research of this reactive system at a finer level, and further dynamics studies, such as the effects of isotope substitution and rovibrational excitations of the reactant molecule, could be carried out on this newly constructed PES.

Kinetic and Dynamic Studies of the F(2P) + ND3 → DF + ND2 Reaction.

The fast F reaction with NH3 poses a big challenge to experimental studies because of secondary chemical and collisional reactions. The quasi-classical trajectory method is utilized to investigate the mode specificity, product energy disposal, and temperature dependence of the thermal rate coefficient of F + ND3 → DF + ND2 on a recently developed potential energy surface. The effect of isotopic substitution is explored by comparing the F + ND3 reaction with the F + NH3 reaction. The computed results permit a better understanding of the F + ammonia reaction. The DF vibrational state has a Λ-type distribution, in accordance with the experimental measurement by the fast flow reactor technique. The product ND2 is dominantly populated in the ground state, and a considerable amount of ND2 is produced in the fundamental states of the bending mode. The similar vibrational state distributions of HF and NH2 in the F + NH3 reaction indicate a weak isotopic substitution effect on the product energy disposal. Exciting the umbrella mode of ND3 suppresses the reaction at low energies below 5 kcal mol-1, in sharp contrast to the observation in the F + NH3 reaction. These dynamical behaviors can be partially explained by the sudden vector projection model. In addition, the thermal rate coefficient of F + ND3 shows no temperature dependence in the range between 150 and 2000 K. There exists an inverse kinetic isotope effect at temperatures from 150 to 1500 K.