Enoch E. Dames

Products of the benzene + O(3P) reaction.

The gas-phase reaction of benzene with O((3)P) is of considerable interest for modeling of aromatic oxidation, and also because there exist fundamental questions concerning the prominence of intersystem crossing in the reaction. While its overall rate constant has been studied extensively, there are still significant uncertainties in the product distribution. The reaction proceeds mainly through the addition of the O atom to benzene, forming an initial triplet diradical adduct, which can either dissociate to form the phenoxy radical and H atom or undergo intersystem crossing onto a singlet surface, followed by a multiplicity of internal isomerizations, leading to several possible reaction products. In this work, we examined the product branching ratios of the reaction between benzene and O((3)P) over the temperature range 300-1000 K and pressure range 1-10 Torr. The reactions were initiated by pulsed-laser photolysis of NO(2) in the presence of benzene and helium buffer in a slow-flow reactor, and reaction products were identified by using the multiplexed chemical kinetics photoionization mass spectrometer operating at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Phenol and phenoxy radical were detected and quantified. Cyclopentadiene and cyclopentadienyl radical were directly identified for the first time. Finally, ab initio calculations and master equation/RRKM modeling were used to reproduce the experimental branching ratios, yielding pressure-dependent rate expressions for the reaction channels, including phenoxy + H, phenol, cyclopentadiene + CO, which are proposed for kinetic modeling of benzene oxidation.

Tunneling in hydrogen-transfer isomerization of n-alkyl radicals.

The role of quantum tunneling in hydrogen shift in linear heptyl radicals is explored using multidimensional, small-curvature tunneling method for the transmission coefficients and a potential energy surface computed at the CBS-QB3 level of theory. Several one-dimensional approximations (Wigner, Skodje and Truhlar, and Eckart methods) were compared to the multidimensional results. The Eckart method was found to be sufficiently accurate in comparison to the small-curvature tunneling results for a wide range of temperature, but this agreement is in fact fortuitous and caused by error cancellations. High-pressure limit rate constants were calculated using the transition state theory with treatment of hindered rotations and Eckart transmission coefficients for all hydrogen-transfer isomerizations in n-pentyl to n-octyl radicals. Rate constants are found in good agreement with experimental kinetic data available for n-pentyl and n-hexyl radicals. In the case of n-heptyl and n-octyl, our calculated rates agree well with limited experimentally derived data. Several conclusions made in the experimental studies of Tsang et al. (Tsang, W.; McGivern, W. S.; Manion, J. A. Proc. Combust. Inst. 2009, 32, 131-138) are confirmed theoretically: older low-temperature experimental data, characterized by small pre-exponential factors and activation energies, can be reconciled with high-temperature data by taking into account tunneling; at low temperatures, transmission coefficients are substantially larger for H-atom transfers through a five-membered ring transition state than those with six-membered rings; channels with transition ring structures involving greater than 8 atoms can be neglected because of entropic effects that inhibit such transitions. The set of computational kinetic rates were used to derive a general rate rule that explicitly accounts for tunneling. The rate rule is shown to reproduce closely the theoretical rate constants.

Internal structure, hygroscopic and reactive properties of mixed sodium methanesulfonate-sodium chloride particles

Internal structures, hygroscopic properties and heterogeneous reactivity of mixed CH(3)SO(3)Na/NaCl particles were investigated using a combination of computer modeling and experimental approaches. Surfactant properties of CH(3)SO(3)(-) ions and their surface accumulation in wet, deliquesced particles were assessed using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and surface tension measurements. Internal structures of dry CH(3)SO(3)Na/NaCl particles were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) assisted with X-ray microanalysis mapping, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The combination of these techniques shows that dry CH(3)SO(3)Na/NaCl particles are composed of a NaCl core surrounded by a CH(3)SO(3)Na shell. Hygroscopic growth, deliquescence and efflorescence phase transitions of mixed CH(3)SO(3)Na/NaCl particles were determined and compared to those of pure NaCl particles. These results indicate that particles undergo a two step deliquescence transition: first at ∼69% relative humidity (RH) the CH(3)SO(3)Na shell takes up water, and then at ∼75% RH the NaCl core deliquesces. Reactive uptake coefficients for the particle-HNO(3) heterogeneous reaction were determined at different CH(3)SO(3)Na/NaCl mixing ratios and RH. The net reaction probability decreased notably with increasing CH(3)SO(3)Na and at lower RH.

Reaction Rate Constant of CH2O + H = HCO + H2 Revisited: A Combined Study of Direct Shock Tube Measurement and Transition State Theory Calculation

The rate constant of the H-abstraction reaction of formaldehyde (CH2O) by hydrogen atoms (H), CH2O + H = H2 + HCO, has been studied behind reflected shock waves with use of a sensitive mid-IR laser absorption diagnostic for CO, over temperatures of 1304-2006 K and at pressures near 1 atm. C2H5I was used as an H atom precursor and 1,3,5-trioxane as the CH2O precursor, to generate a well-controlled CH2O/H reacting system. By designing the experiments to maintain relatively constant H atom concentrations, the current study significantly boosted the measurement sensitivity of the target reaction and suppressed the influence of interfering reactions. The measured CH2O + H rate constant can be expressed in modified Arrhenius from as kCH2O+H(1304-2006 K, 1 atm) = 1.97 × 10(11)(T/K)(1.06) exp(-3818 K/T) cm(3) mol(-1)s(-1), with uncertainty limits estimated to be +18%/-26%. A transition-state-theory (TST) calculation, using the CCSD(T)-F12/VTZ-F12 level of theory, is in good agreement with the shock tube measurement and extended the temperature range of the current study to 200-3000 K, over which a modified Arrhenius fit of the rate constant can be expressed as kCH2O+H(200-3000 K) = 5.86 × 10(3)(T/K)(3.13) exp(-762 K/T) cm(3) mol(-1)s(-1).

Master equation modeling of the unimolecular decompositions of hydroxymethyl (CH2OH) and methoxy (CH3O) radicals to formaldehyde (CH2O) + H.

α-Hydroxyalkyl radical intermediates (RCHOH, R = H, CH3, etc.) are common to the combustion of nearly all oxygenated fuels. Despite their importance in modeling the combustion phenomena of these compounds through detailed kinetic models, the unimolecular decomposition kinetics remains uncertain for even the simplest α-hydroxyalkyl radical, hydroxymethyl (CH2OH). In this study, RRKM/master equation simulations were carried out for CH2OH decomposition to formaldehyde + H between N2 pressures of 0.01-100 atm and temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1800 K. These simulations were guided by methoxy (CH3O) decomposition calculations between pressures of 0.01-100 atm and temperatures ranging from 600 to 1200 K, in both helium and nitrogen. Excellent agreement of the methoxy results was observed for all regions where experimental data exist. Rates were parametrized as a function of both density and temperature within the Troe formalism. Temperature- and pressure-dependent uncertainty estimates are provided, with the largest source of uncertainty being tunneling contributions at very low pressures and at the lowest temperatures. In the regimes relevant to combustion, uncertainties range from factors of 1.4-2 for CH3O decomposition, and from 1.5-2.6 for CH2OH decomposition. The results of this study are expected to have an impact on the high temperature combustion modeling of methanol, as formation rates to CH2O + H from CH2OH are notably different from previous estimates under some conditions.

Weakly Bound Carbon−Carbon Bonds in Acenaphthene Derivatives and Hexaphenylethane

A class of acenaphthene derivatives is shown to contain weak central carbon-carbon bonds that may be easily cleaved at high temperatures or even at ambient conditions to yield persistent free diradicals. To demonstrate the weak C-C bond strength, density functional theory calculations were carried out at several levels of theory for both the parent molecules and the diradicals resulting from the C-C bond cleavage. To assess the accuracy of the calculations, hexaphenylethane was chosen as a model compound due to its similarity with the molecules studied here, its great resonance stabilization, and long-standing history within the chemistry community. The C-C bond dissociation energy of hexaphenylethane was determined to be 11.3 +/- 1.4 kcal/mol using a combination of isodesmic reactions and calculations at the M06-2X/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory. The types of molecules presented here are proposed as strong possibilities for the natural existence of free radicals in young and mature soot formed in hydrocarbon combustion.

Kinetics and Products of Vinyl + 1,3-Butadiene, a Potential Route to Benzene.

The reaction between vinyl radical, C2H3, and 1,3-butadiene, 1,3-C4H6, has long been recognized as a potential route to benzene, particularly in 1,3-butadiene flames, but the lack of reliable rate coefficients has hindered assessments of its true contribution. Using laser flash photolysis and visible laser absorbance (λ = 423.2 nm), we measured the overall rate coefficient for C2H3 + 1,3-C4H6, k1, at 297 K ≤ T ≤ 494 K and 4 ≤ P ≤ 100 Torr. k1 was in the high-pressure limit in this range and could be fit by the simple Arrhenius expression k1 = (1.1 ± 0.2) × 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) exp(-9.9 ± 0.6 kJ mol(-1)/RT). Using photoionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, we also investigated the products formed. At T ≤ 494 K and P = 25 Torr, we found only C6H9 adduct species, while at 494 K ≤ T ≤ 700 K and P = 4 Torr, we observed ≤∼10% branching to cyclohexadiene in addition to C6H9. Quantum chemistry master-equation calculations using the modified strong collision model indicate that n-C6H9 is the dominant product at low temperature, consistent with our experimental results, and predict the rate coefficient and branching ratios at higher T where chemically activated channels become important. Predictions of k1 are in close agreement with our experimental results, allowing us to recommend the following modified Arrhenius expression in the high-pressure limit from 300 to 2000 K: k1 = 6.5 × 10(-20) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) T(2.40) exp(-1.76 kJ mol(-1)/RT).

High-Temperature Measurements of the Reactions of OH with Ethylamine and Dimethylamine

The overall rate constants of hydroxyl radicals (OH) with ethylamine (EA: CH3CH2NH2) and dimethylamine (DMA: CH3NHCH3) were investigated behind reflected shock waves using UV laser absorption of OH radicals near 306.7 nm. tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) was used as the fast source of OH at elevated temperatures. Test gas mixtures of individual amines and TBHP, diluted in argon, were shock-heated to temperatures from 901 to 1368 K at pressures near 1.2 atm. The overall rate constants were determined by fitting the measured OH time-histories with the computed profiles using a detailed mechanism developed by Lucassen et al. (Combust. Flame 2012, 159, 2254-2279). Over the temperature range studied, the measured rate constants can be expressed as kEA+OH = 1.10 × 10(7)·T(1.93) exp(1450/T) cm(3) mol(-1) s(-1), and kDMA+OH = 2.26 × 10(4)·T(2.69) exp(1797/T) cm(3) mol(-1) s(-1). Detailed error analyses were performed to estimate the overall uncertainties of the measured reaction rate constants, and the estimated (2σ) uncertainties were found to be ±31% at 901 K and ±22% at 1368 K for kEA+OH, and ±29% at 925 K and ±21% at 1307 K for kDMA+OH. Variational transition state theory was used to compute the H-abstraction rates by OH for ethylamine and dimethylamine, with the potential energy surface, geometries, frequencies, and electronic energies calculated by Galano and Alvarez-Idaboy (J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2008, 4, 322-327) at CCSD(T)/6-311++G(2d,2p) level of theory. The calculated reaction rate constants are in good agreement with the experimental data.