Ethyl Radicals Research Articles

Rotational Isomerization of Carbon-Carbon Single Bonds in Ethyl Radical Derivatives in a Room-Temperature Solution.

The rotational isomerization of 1,2-disubstituted ethyl radical derivatives, reaction intermediates often found in the reaction of 1,2-disubstituted ethane derivatives, has never been measured because of their short lifetime and ultrafast rotation. However, the rotational time constant is critical for understanding the detailed reaction mechanism involving these radicals, which determine the stereoisomers of compounds produced via the intermediates. Using time-resolved infrared spectroscopy, we found that the CF2BrCF2 radical in a CCl4 solution rotationally isomerizes with a time constant of 47 ± 5 ps at 280 ± 2 K. From this value and the rotational barrier heights of related compounds, CH3CH2 and CH3CH2CHCH3 radicals in CCl4 were estimated to rotationally isomerize within 1 ps at 298 K, considerably faster than ethane and n-butane, which rotationally isomerize with time constants of 1.8 and 81 ps, respectively. The time constant for the rotational isomerization was similar to that calculated using transition state theory with a transmission coefficient of 0.75.

Kinetic Model and Experiment for Self-Ignition of Triethylaluminum and Triethylborane Droplets in Air

Triethylaluminum Al(C2H5)3, TEA, and triethylborane, B(C2H5)3, TEB, are transparent, colorless, pyrophoric liquids with boiling points of approximately 190 °C and 95 °C, respectively. Upon contact with ambient air, TEA, TEB, as well as their mixtures and solutions, in hydrocarbon solvents, ignite. They can also violently react with water. TEA and TEB can be used as hypergolic rocket propellants and incendiary compositions. In this manuscript, a novel scheme of the heterogeneous interaction of gaseous oxygen with liquid TEA/TEB microdroplets accompanied by the release of light hydrocarbon radicals into the gas phase is used for calculating the self-ignition of a spatially homogeneous mixture of fuel microdroplets in ambient air at normal pressure and temperature (NPT) conditions. In the primary initiation step, TEA and TEB react with oxygen, producing an ethyl radical, which can initiate an autoxidation chain. The ignition delay is shown to decrease with the decrease in the droplet size. Preliminary experiments on the self-ignition of pulsed and continuous TEA-TEB sprays in ambient air at NPT conditions are used for estimating the Arrhenius parameters of the rate-limiting reaction. Experiments confirm that the self-ignition delay of TEA-TEB sprays decreases with the injection pressure and provide the data for estimating the activation energy of the rate-limiting reaction, which appears to be close to 2 kcal/mol.

First-principles study of the T center in silicon

The T center in silicon is a well-known carbon-based color center that has been recently considered for quantum technology applications. Using first-principles computations, we show that the excited state is formed by a defect-bound exciton made of a localized defect state occupied by an electron to which a hole is bound. The localized state is of strong carbon $p$ character and reminiscent of the localization of the unpaired electron in the ethyl radical molecule. The radiative lifetime for the defect-bound exciton is calculated to be on the order of microseconds, much longer than for other quantum defects such as the nitrogen vacancy center in diamond and in agreement with experiments. The longer lifetime is associated with the small transition dipole moment as a result of the very different nature of the localized and delocalized states forming the defect-bound exciton. Finally, we use first-principles calculations to assess the stability of the T center. We find the T center to be stable against decomposition into simpler defects when keeping the stoichiometry fixed. However, we identify that the T center is easily prone to (de)hydrogenation and so requires very precise annealing conditions (temperature and atmosphere) to be efficiently formed.

Experimental and kinetic modeling investigations on low-temperature oxidation of 2-ethylfuran in a jet-stirred reactor

Biomass fuel, as a kind of alternative fuel, offers the possibility of a higher sustainability of the energy system. Furanic fuels that are proposed as next-generation biomass-derived fuels have become one of the targets of recent researches. Here the studies on the low-temperature oxidation of 2-ethylfuran (EF2) in a jet-stirred reactor were performed at atmospheric pressure, at temperature range of 600–900 K and at three equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0, respectively. Over 20 oxidation products were detected and measured by using synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry, including hydrocarbons, such as methane, ethylene, acetylene, et al., and oxygenated species, such as formaldehyde, ketene, acetaldehyde, 2-methylfuran and 2-vinylfuran, especially the isomers (furan/vinyl ketene) et al. A detailed low-temperature oxidation kinetic model with 723 species and 3300 reactions based on the reported models and theoretical calculations was developed to demonstrate the experimental results in this work. Rate of production analysis shows that, in the low-temperature oxidation of EF2, the consumption of EF2 is dominated by hydrogen atom-abstraction to produce 1-(2-furyl)ethyl radical and by hydroxyl radical-addition onto C(2) of EF2 to produce 2,3-dihydro-2-hyroxyl-2-ethyl-3-furanyl radical at 50% EF2 consumption. The subsequent dominant consumption pathway of 1-(2-furyl)ethyl radical reacting with hydroperoxyl radical will generate 1-(2-furyl)ethyloxyl radical or 2,5-dihydro-5-ethyliden-2-furanyloxyl radical, while 2,3-dihydro-2-hyroxyl-2-ethyl-3-furanyl radical will subsequently go through β-scission to produce carbon monoxide + acetylene + formyl radical eventually. Sensitivity analysis indicates that reactions related to these four radicals, i.e., hydroxyl, 1-(2-furyl)ethyl, 2,5-dihydro-5-ethyliden-2-furanyloxyl and 2,3-dihydro-2-hyroxyl-2-ethyl-3-furanyl, are critical in the consumption of EF2. Hydroxyl radical is mainly produced by the decomposition of hydroperoxide at the equivalence ratio of 0.5 and 1.0, while at the equivalence ratio of 2.0, reactions between 1-(2-furyl)ethyl radical and hydroperoxyl radical, as well as that between methyl radical and hydroperoxyl radical, become more important.

Oxygen-Demanding Photocontrolled RAFT Polymerization Under Ambient Conditions.

A photocontrolled reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process is developed by initiating polymerization through a 1,3-diaminopropane-triethylborane (DAPTB)-diphenyl iodonium salt (Ph2 I+ ) complex (DAPTB/Ph2 I+ ) under ambient temperature and atmospheric conditions. Upon demand, this air-stable DAPTB/Ph2 I+ complex is photolyzed to liberate a reactive triethylborane that consumes atmospheric oxygen and generates ethyl radicals, which initiate and mediate RAFT polymerization. Controlled RAFT polymerization is thus achieved without any prior deoxygenation using a novel RAFT chain transfer agent, BP-FSBC, which contains both benzophenone and sulfonyl fluoride moieties. Furthermore, the kinetics of polymerization reveal that the reaction process is rapid, and well-defined polymers are produced by a 61% conversion of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) within 7 min and 77% conversion of N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) within 10.5 min. The temporal and spatial control of this photopolymerization is also demonstrated by an "on/off" switch of UV irradiation and a painting-on-a-surface approach, respectively. In addition, active chain ends are demonstrated by preparing block copolymers by chain extension and click sulfur(VI)-fluoride exchange postreaction using RAFT-derived macrochain transfer agents.

Pyrolysis study of N, N-dimethylformamide at low pressure

N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) is a kind of general solvent in Li-ion industry and nitrogen-containing component of amines fuels. The trace vapor of DMF is very harmful to human and environment, which could be treated by pyrolysis. The pyrolysis of DMF was newly carried out in a flow reactor at 30 Torr within 873–1273 K. Synchrotron radiation single photoionization coupled with molecular beam mass spectrometry was employed to detect the reactants, intermediates and products. 26 species were identified and quantified. Products related to NOx, such as nitrosomethane, nitrosyl cyanide and N-methylformamide were identified. With the temperature increasing, the mole fractions of species tend to increase monotonically, while nitrosyl cyanide, ethyl radical, cyclopropane, carbon monoxide, ethanol, acetaldehyde and ethanol exhibit peak-shaped curves. Hydrogen abstractions and dissociations are the main initial pathways of DMF consumption. As the main hydrocarbon products, methane and ethylene are predominantly formed by the H abstraction reaction by methyl radical and the β-scission of ethyl radical, respectively. Carbon monoxide is mainly generated from the dissociation of DMF and its mole fraction is at the same level as the fuel DMF. HCN is the most abundant product among all the carbonitride species via H abstraction of CH2 =NH as well as the collisions of CN with alkanes and aldehydes. These results provide a theoretical basis for further study of treating DMF in the exhaust fumes through pyrolysis and have reference value for the clean utilization of amine fuels.

Site-Specific Carbon-Carbon Bond Fission in Photoexcited Propyl Radicals Leads to Isomer-Selective Carbene and Radical Products.

Although there have been many studies of C-H bond fission in the UV photochemistry of alkyl radicals, very little is known about the possible occurrence of C-C bond fission. Here, we report that upon excitation at 248 nm, gaseous 1-propyl radicals primarily undergo C-C bond fission, producing methylene (CH2) and ethyl radicals (C2H5), rather than the more energetically favored methyl (CH3) and ethylene (C2H4). In contrast, the exclusive C-C bond fission products from 2-propyl radicals were ethylidene (CHCH3) plus methyl radicals (CH3). The isomer-selective formation of high-energy carbene + radical products involves excited-state site-specific C-C bond fission at the radical carbon, with quantum yields comparable to those for C-H bond fission. Our observations suggest that a general feature of alkyl radical photochemistry is predissociation of the initially formed Rydberg states by high-lying valence states, yielding high-energy carbene plus alkyl radical products.

From Reduction to Oxidation: pH Controlled Reaction of 1-hydroxyethyl Radical with Caffeic Acid Analogues

Aims: The aim is to search for newer and better antioxidants through kinetic spectroscopic studies in combination with product analysis and computation. Background: Antioxidant effect of caffeic acid, its derivative, and analogues have been well reported. The anti-oxidative efficiencies are related to their molecular structure, and two reaction pathways are well accepted, H-atom transfer (HAT) or single electron transfer. 1-hydroxy ethyl radical (1-HER) being ethanol-derived free radical might be causing the onset of liver injury detected after alcohol administration. 1-HER has also been reported to react with fatty acids and endogenous antioxidants such as glutathione, ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol. Objective: The present study is an attempt to understand the reaction mechanism of 1- HER with caffeic acid, its derivative and analogues in detail. Methods: Pulse radiolysis with kinetic absorption spectroscopy has been employed to follow the reaction pathway and identify the intermediates produced in the reaction. The reaction products have been detected using LCMS/MS. Based on these studies, a consolidated mechanism has been proposed. Cyclic voltammetry measurements and computational calculations have been used in support of the proposed mechanism. Result: In the reaction of 1-hydroxy ethyl radical (1-HER) with caffeic acid and its oligomers, reduction takes place below the pKa1, while oxidation occurs with the deprotonated phenolic moiety. The reduction of caffeic acid generates a carbon-centered radical at the double bond of the side chain with a bimolecular rate constant of 1.4x1010 dm3 mol-1 s-1. Notably, a low concentration of oxygen is able to regenerate a part of the caffeic acid molecules in the reduction process. At pH 10 a phenoxyl radical is formed due to oxidation with a much lower bimolecular rate constant of (4.2x108 dm3 mol-1 s-1). In the case of di-hydrocaffeic acid, only phenoxyl radical is formed at pH 10 and, no reaction could be observed below pH 8. Conclusion: Change in reactive pattern from reduction to oxidation with change in pH within same set of reactants has been evidently established in the present study. The results point towards the importance of α−β unsaturation in the side chain of caffeic acid oligomers for their reaction with 1-HER at neutral pH. The effect of oxygen concentration on the antioxidative protection offered by this class of molecules might be intriguing for the quest of the effectiveness of antioxidants at low concentration. Other: It may be inferred that the effect of pH on the reactivity pattern as observed is not 1-HER, but substrate specific, in the present case phenolic acids. This study generates further scope for in-depth studies on other polyphenols where unsaturation exists in the side chain.

Theoretical Study of the Reaction of the Methylidyne Radical (CH; X2Π) with 1-Butyne (CH3CH2CCH; X1A').

Ab initio CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pVTZ-f12//ωB97X-D/6-311G(d,p) + ZPE[ωB97X-D/6-311G(d,p)] calculations were carried out to unravel the area of the C5H7 potential energy surface accessed by the reaction of the methylidyne radical with 1-butyne. The results were utilized in Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus calculations of the product branching ratios at the zero pressure limit. The preferable reaction mechanism has been shown to involve (nearly) instantaneous decomposition of the initial reaction adducts, whose structures are controlled by the isomeric form of the C4H6 reactant. If CH adds to the triple C≡C bond in the entrance reaction channel, the reaction is predicted to predominantly form the methylenecyclopropene + methyl (CH3) and cyclopropenylidene + ethyl (C2H5) products roughly in a 2:1 ratio. CH insertion into a C-H bond in the methyl group of 1-butyne is anticipated to preferentially form ethylene + propargyl (C3H3) by the C-C bond β-scission in the initial complex, whereas CH insertion into C-H of the CH2 group would predominantly produce vinylacetylene + methyl (CH3) also by the C-C bond β-scission in the adduct. The barrierless and highly exoergic CH + 1-butyne reaction, facile in cold molecular clouds, is not likely to lead to the carbon skeleton molecular growth but generates C4H4 isomers methylenecyclopropene, vinylacetylene, and 1,2,3-butatriene and smaller C2 and C3 hydrocarbons such as methyl, ethyl, and propargyl radicals, ethylene, and cyclopropenylidene.

Imaging the elusive C–C bond dissociation channel of photoexcited ethyl radical

The C–C bond dissociation channel of the ethyl (CH–CH) radical is investigated at 197.4, 199.98 and 201 nm by velocity map imaging and resonance enhanced multiphoton ionisation (REMPI) detection of the produced CH fragments. On the light of high-level ab initio calculations performed in this work, up to four dissociation pathways are identified leading, respectively, to ground state CH radicals in correlation with CH fragments in the first four electronic states. The major pathway is associated with threshold dissociation over an exit barrier located at the point of a conical intersection between the initially populated 3 state and a dissociative valence state. As discussed in the text, the concomitance of both features opens the narrow window in which C–C bond dissociation occurs for ethyl and, presumably, for other similar alkyl radicals.

Diol isomer revealed as a source of methyl ketene from propionic acid unimolecular decomposition

AbstractCarboxylic acids are important combustion intermediates, especially regarding the combustion of oxygenates such as ethyl esters. The purpose of this study is to discern the unimolecular decomposition pathways of one such carboxylic acid, propionic acid, using microreactor flow experiments with line‐tunable photoionization mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy, along with high‐level electronic structure calculations (CCSD(T)/cc‐pV∞Z//M06‐2X/cc‐pVTZ level of theory) and master equation theory. Microreactor experiments were performed at 300–1500 K, pressures decreasing from roughly 300 Torr to vacuum pressure, and around 100 μs residence times. Primary products are methyl ketene, ketene, ethylene, and methyl radical. Theory suggests the two lowest energy bond fissions are active at these conditions and responsible for the production of ketene, methyl radical, and some ethylene. Importantly, theory revealed the significance of the isomerization of propionic acid to propene‐1,1‐diol, and the subsequent dehydrogenation reaction of the diol as an alternative explanation for the unimolecular formation of methyl ketene. This is predicted to be the dominant thermal decomposition pathway at lower temperatures (up to ∼850 K). Line‐tunable VUV photons allowed for isomer resolution of the products and showed no evidence of the diol of propionic acid surviving until detection, suggesting propene‐1,1‐diol decomposes either to methyl ketene and water rapidly, fragments upon ionization to a distonic ion inseparable from methyl ketene through our detection methods, or never stabilizes as propionic acid well‐skips directly to methyl ketene. Infrared spectroscopy showed no evidence of the decarboxylation of propionic acid at these conditions. Updated rate constants and branching ratios for propionic acid decomposition are calculated and provided for future modeling studies.

Vibrational mode-specificity in the dynamics of the Cl + C2H6 → HCl + C2H5 reaction.

We report a detailed dynamics study on the mode-specificity of the Cl + C2H6 → HCl + C2H5 H-abstraction reaction. We perform quasi-classical trajectory simulations using a recently developed high-level ab initio full-dimensional potential energy surface by exciting five different vibrational modes of ethane at four collision energies. We find that all the studied vibrational excitations, except that of the CC-stretching mode, clearly promote the title reaction, and the vibrational enhancements are consistent with the predictions of the Sudden Vector Projection (SVP) model, with the largest effect caused by the CH-stretching excitations. Intramolecular vibrational redistribution is also monitored for the differently excited ethane molecule. Our results indicate that the mechanism of the reaction changes with increasing collision energy, with no mode-specificity at high energies. The initial translational energy mostly converts into product recoil, while a significant part of the excess vibrational energy remains in the ethyl radical. An interesting competition between translational and vibrational energies is observed for the HCl vibrational distribution: the effect of exciting the low-frequency ethane modes, having small SVP values, is suppressed by translational excitation, whereas a part of the excess vibrational energy pumped into the CH-stretching modes (larger SVP values) efficiently flows into the HCl vibration.

Study on the pyrolysis mechanism of unsaturated fatty acid: A combined density functional theory and experimental study

In this study, oleic acid was used as a model compound to discuss the mechanism of thermal conversion of unsaturated fatty acids to hydrocarbons, so as to promote the goal of obtaining renewable chemicals and fuels from unsaturated fatty acids. In-situ detection techniques such as TG-FTIR and Py-GC/MS combined with density functional theory were applied to study the reaction mechanism of oleic acid molecules in the conditions of slow pyrolysis and fast pyrolysis. As the temperature rises, the hydrogen bond is broken, and the vibration peak of oleic acid shows obvious dehydrogenation under slow pyrolysis, and the same situation exists under fast pyrolysis. As the temperature increases, the pyrolysis process of oleic acid molecules changed from the dominant role of bimolecular mutual catalysis to that of free radical reaction. The results of Py-GC/MS showed that methyl, ethyl, and hydrogen radicals are the main active substances under the conditions of high temperature and fast pyrolysis of unsaturated fatty acid. This work demonstrates the feasibility of producing renewable hydrocarbons by pyrolysis of unsaturated fatty acids and proposed influenced factors to control product distribution. Novelty Statement Density functional theory (DFT) combined with experiments was used in present study to supplement the understanding of the pyrolysis mechanism of fatty acids in bio oil pyrolysis, and the control factors of controlling the distribution of fatty acid pyrolysis products were proposed.

Effect of the side-chain length and NLO properties of the N-ethyl-N,N,N-trialkylammonium ionic liquids – A DFT study

In this work, the structural, electronic, and nonlinear optical properties of the new ionic liquids N-ethyl-N,N,N-trihexylammonium adipate (CPA6) and N-ethyl-N,N,N-trioctylammonium ethyl sulfate (ESA8) and their derivatives are reported. The effect of the length of the alkyl side-chains on the ionic liquids within the framework of the Density Functional Theory was analyzed. It was determined that the interaction energy, the dipole moment, the polarizability and the hyperpolarizability of the ionic liquids ESAn and CPAn (n = 2, …, 14) and the corresponding pure former cations, show a strong dependency on the number of ethyl radicals added or removed from the side-chains. The alkyl side-chain length is a more important factor than the interaction with the anion, where the adipate anion presents better values of the nonlinear optical properties concerning the ethyl sulfate anion. We found that the cations exhibit a direct proportional dependence on n. Meanwhile, as n increases, the anionic contributions become negligible.

Experimental study of the auto-catalytic effect of triethylaluminum and TiCl4 residuals at the onset of non-additive polypropylene degradation and their impact on thermo-oxidative degradation and pyrolysis

In this article, the pyrolysis and thermo-oxidative degradation of five industrial waste products was carried out in a discontinuous quartz reactor at 550 °C under the auto-catalytic effect of residues of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), triethylaluminium (TEAL), and iron (Fe). We using the coupled on-site analysis of an GCMS/FID/PDHID with 7 valves and 8 columns in series. The study also discusses the effect of the concentration of the catalyst residuals with the Eac (activation energy) and the evolution of the profile of permanent oxygenated gases, hydrocarbons and sulfurs, as well as the functional waste groups from decomposition during pyrolysis and thermo-oxidative degradation. The origin of the degradation and the beginnings of PP pyrolysis and thermo-oxidative degradation are explained by hydrolysis mechanisms and thermal reactions that imply successive reactions with these (TEAL), TiO2, and chloride residues, giving rise to ethyl radicals and explaining the formation of alcohols, ketones, carboxylic acids, alkynes and alkenes. The study also found that the gaseous profiles are very consistent with the DTG curves and the Eac, in terms of the appearance of peaks and relevant stages throughout the total temperature range. The effect of Cl, Fe and TEAL on the PP degradation is very high upon passing from an inert to an oxidative atmosphere. This reduces the content of hydrocarbons and oxygenates to CO2 between 49 and 66% because of the attack of the oxygen atom. In the pyrolysis the propylene content oscillates between 42 and 56%. Finally, the initial reaction mechanisms, and the secondary reaction routes, are proposed and demonstrated experimentally in function of the primary volatile compounds quantified. The thermo-oxidative properties of the five PP waste products improve significantly with the addition of 0.1% of a secondary antioxidant.

S‐Adenosyl‐l‐ethionine is a Catalytically Competent Analog of S‐Adenosyl‐l‐methionine (SAM) in the Radical SAM Enzyme HydG

AbstractRadical S‐adenosyl‐l‐methionine (SAM) enzymes initiate biological radical reactions with the 5′‐deoxyadenosyl radical (5′‐dAdo.). A [4Fe‐4S]+ cluster reductively cleaves SAM to form the Ω organometallic intermediate in which the 5′‐deoxyadenosyl moiety is directly bound to the unique iron of the [4Fe‐4S] cluster, with subsequent liberation of 5′‐dAdo.. We present synthesis of the SAM analog S‐adenosyl‐l‐ethionine (SAE) and show SAE is a mechanistically equivalent SAM‐alternative for HydG, both supporting enzymatic turnover of substrate tyrosine and forming the organometallic intermediate Ω. Photolysis of SAE‐bound HydG forms an ethyl radical trapped in the active site. The ethyl radical withstands prolonged storage at 77 K and its EPR signal is only partially lost upon annealing at 100 K, making it significantly less reactive than the methyl radical formed by SAM photolysis. Upon annealing above 77 K, the ethyl radical adds to the [4Fe‐4S]2+ cluster, generating an ethyl‐[4Fe‐4S]3+ organometallic species termed ΩE.

S-Adenosyl-l-ethionine is a Catalytically Competent Analog of S-Adenosyl-l-methione (SAM) in the Radical SAM Enzyme HydG.

Radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) enzymes initiate biological radical reactions with the 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical (5'-dAdo•). A [4Fe-4S]+ cluster reductively cleaves SAM to form the Ω organometallic intermediate in which the 5'-deoxyadenosyl moiety is directly bound to the unique iron of the [4Fe-4S] cluster, with subsequent liberation of 5'-dAdo•. Here we present synthesis of the SAM analog S-adenosyl-l-ethionine (SAE) and show SAE is a mechanistically-equivalent SAM-alternative for HydG, both supporting enzymatic turnover of substrate tyrosine and forming the organometallic intermediate Ω. Photolysis of SAE bound to HydG forms an ethyl radical trapped in the active site. The ethyl radical withstands prolonged storage at 77 K and its EPR signal is only partially lost upon annealing at 100 K, making it significantly less reactive than the methyl radical formed by SAM photolysis. Upon annealing above 77K, the ethyl radical adds to the [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster, generating an ethyl-[4Fe-4S]3+ organometallic species termed ΩE.

Probing pyrolysis chemistry of 1-heptene pyrolysis with insight into fuel molecular structure effects

The pyrolysis of 1-heptene was studied in a flow reactor using synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry at 0.04 and 1 atm and in a jet-stirred reactor using gas chromatography at 1 atm. Flow reactor pyrolysis products, including the allyl radical, cycloalkenes and aromatics, were identified and quantified. Alkenes are found to be the dominant product family, among which ethylene is the most abundant product. A detailed intermediate-to-high temperature model of 1-heptene was developed and validated against the new pyrolysis data in this work, as well as previous data of 1-heptene combustion in literature over a wide range of pressures, temperatures and equivalence ratios. Rate of production analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed to reveal the key pathways in fuel decomposition and product formation. The allylic CC bond dissociation reaction is concluded as the most important pathway in 1-heptene decomposition. Reactions of allyl, propargyl and cyclopentadienyl radicals play important roles in the formation of cycloalkenes and aromatics. Furthermore, comparative pyrolysis experiments of 1-hexene and n-heptane were also performed in the jet-stirred reactor at 1 atm using gas chromatography to explore fuel molecular structure effects on pyrolysis reactivity and product distributions among 1-alkene and n-alkane fuels. The comparison between 1-heptene and 1-hexene pyrolysis demonstrates that similar fuel molecular structure results in the similarities in primary fuel decomposition pathways and pyrolysis reactivity. Ethylene is the most abundant product in both 1-alkene pyrolysis, and the feature in 1-heptene molecular structure leads to enhanced formation of ethylene in its pyrolysis. The abundant formation of ethyl and methyl radicals leads to higher production of 1-pentene and 1-butene in 1-heptene and 1-hexene pyrolysis, respectively. The comparison between 1-heptene and n-heptane pyrolysis reveals that the existence of CC double bond enhances the pyrolysis reactivity of 1-heptene. Different from 1-heptene consumption, n-heptane consumption is dominantly controlled by H abstraction reactions instead of unimolecular decomposition reactions. Propene and 1-butene are prone to be produced in 1-heptene pyrolysis, while 1-hexene has higher mole fractions in n-heptane pyrolysis.

A kinetics study on hydrogen abstraction reactions of cyclopentane by hydrogen, methyl, and ethyl radicals.

Hydrogen abstraction reactions of (cyclo)alkanes by radicals play a fundamental role in both combustion and atmospheric chemistry. In this work, we select three common radicals in the pyrolysis of hydrocarbon fuels: hydrogen radical (H[combining dot above]), methyl radical (ĊH3), and ethyl radical (ĊH2CH3) to investigate the kinetics of their hydrogen abstraction reactions with cyclopentane. The rate constants over a broad temperature range of 150-3000 K are calculated by using the multi-structural variational transition state theory in the small-curvature tunneling approximation (MS-CVT/SCT), by which the multi-structural torsional (MS-T) anharmonicity of partition functions, variational effects, and corner-cutting tunneling are all included in dynamics calculations. We stress the particular importance of considering the MS-T anharmonicity in the rate constant calculation for the reaction with the ethyl radical compared to those with hydrogen and methyl radicals. The MS-T anharmonicity significantly accelerates the reaction with the ethyl radical in the whole temperature range, and in particular, it increases the rate constant by a factor of >-9 at 1000 K. We also found that the tunneling effect drastically increases the rate constants at low-temperatures by up to 3-5 orders of magnitudes. The calculated reaction rate constants have an order of .

Directed Gas Phase Formation of the Elusive Silylgermylidyne Radical (H3 SiGe, X2 A'').

The previously unknown silylgermylidyne radical (H3 SiGe; X2 A'') was prepared via the bimolecular gas phase reaction of ground state silylidyne radicals (SiH; X2 Π) with germane (GeH4 ; X1 A1 ) under single collision conditions in crossed molecular beams experiments. This reaction begins with the formation of a van der Waals complex followed by insertion of silylidyne into a germanium-hydrogen bond forming the germylsilyl radical (H3 GeSiH2 ). A hydrogen migration isomerizes this intermediate to the silylgermyl radical (H2 GeSiH3 ), which undergoes a hydrogen shift to an exotic, hydrogen-bridged germylidynesilane intermediate (H3 Si(μ-H)GeH); this species emits molecular hydrogen forming the silylgermylidyne radical (H3 SiGe). Our study offers a remarkable glance at the complex reaction dynamics and inherent isomerization processes of the silicon-germanium system, which are quite distinct from those of the isovalent hydrocarbon system (ethyl radical; C2 H5 ) eventually affording detailed insights into an exotic chemistry and intriguing chemical bonding of silicon-germanium species at the microscopic level exploiting crossed molecular beams.