Marina Pelegrini

A product branching ratio controlled by vibrational adiabaticity and variational effects: Kinetics of the H + trans-N2H2 reactions

The abstraction and addition reactions of H with trans-N(2)H(2) are studied by high-level ab initio methods and density functional theory. Rate constants were calculated for these two reactions by multistructural variational transition state theory with multidimensional tunneling and including torsional anharmonicity by the multistructural torsion method. Rate constants of the abstraction reaction show large variational effects, that is, the variational transition state yields a smaller rate constant than the conventional transition state; this results from the fact that the variational transition state has a higher zero-point vibrational energy than the conventional transition state. The addition reaction has a classical barrier height that is about 1 kcal∕mol lower than that of the abstraction reaction, but the addition rates are lower than the abstraction rates due to vibrational adiabaticity. The calculated branching ratio of abstraction to addition is 3.5 at 200 K and decreases to 1.2 at 1000 K and 1.06 at 1500 K.

A theoretical study of the inversion and rotation barriers in Methyl-substituted Amines

Barrier heights of the internal rotation and inversion motions of methylamine, dimethylamine and trimethylamine molecules were calculated with the CCSD(T)//B3LYP methodology in combination with the cc-pVTZ, cc-pVQZ, and cc-pCVTZ basis sets of Dunning. The complete basis set (CBS) extrapolation procedure and core-valence (CV) correlation effects are also examined to the barrier heights. Our best estimate results (CCSD(T)/CBS+CV//B3LYP/cc-pVQZ) are in very good agreement with the experimental data, indicating the use of this methodology to provide accurate predictions of structures and barrier heights for other systems

Hydrazine decomposition on a small platinum cluster: the role of N2H5 intermediate

This work presents a comprehensive DFT study on the interaction between hydrazine derivatives with a platinum catalyst surface, which is represented by a tetrahedral Pt4 cluster model. Three separate reaction pathways were investigated; two of which are related to possible pathways of NH3 formation. The first pathway describes the intramolecular transfer of one hydrogen atom in the hydrazine molecule forming the NHNH3 intermediate, then dissociating into NH and NH3. The second describes the addition of one external hydrogen atom to hydrazine forming N2H5, followed by its dissociation to NH2 and NH3. The third reaction pathway involves the formation of N2H3 by means of hydrogen abstraction by an external hydrogen. The reactions were studied in both the absence and the presence of a Pt4 cluster. We find that the assistance of the Pt4 cluster lacks a systematic effect on the reactions barrier heights. It is also shown that the ammonia formation can possibly proceed through the formation of the N2H5 intermediate, leading to more exothermic intermediate steps in the presence of the Pt4 cluster.

Comparative study of small boron, silicon and germanium clusters: B(m)Si(n) and B(m)Ge(n) (m + n = 2-4).

AbstractChemically speaking, atomic clusters are very rich, allowing their application in a broad range of technological areas such as developing functional materials, heterogeneous catalysis, and building optical devices. In this work, high level computational chemistry methods were used in a systematic manner to improve the characterization of small clusters formed by boron, silicon, germanium, mixed boron/silicon, and mixed boron/germanium. Calculations were carried out with both ab initio [MP2 and CCSD(T)] and density functional (B3LYP) methods with extended basis sets. The CCSD(T) results were then extrapolated to the complete basis set (CBS) limit. Finally, geometrical parameters, vibrational frequencies, and relative energies were then obtained and compared to data presented in the literature. Graphical AbstractSmall boron, silicon and germanium clusters: BmSin and BmGen (m + n = 2–4)