RESUMO

The complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) method is a cornerstone in modern excited-state quantum chemistry providing the starting point for most common multireference computations. However, CASSCF, when used with a minimal active space, can produce significant errors (>2 eV) even for the excitation energies of simple hydrocarbons if the states of interest possess ionic character. After illustrating this problem in some detail, we present a diagnostic for ionic character, denoted as Q at, that is readily computed from the transition density. A set of 11 molecules is considered to study errors in vertical excitation energies. State-averaged CASSCF obtains a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.87 eV for the 34 singlet states considered. We highlight a strong correlation between the obtained errors and the Q at diagnostic, illustrating its power to predict problematic cases. Conversely, using multireference configuration interaction with single and double excitations and Pople's size extensivity correction (MR-CISD+P), excellent results are obtained with an MAE of 0.11 eV. Furthermore, correlations with the Q at diagnostic disappear. In summary, we hope that the presented diagnostic will facilitate reliable and user-friendly multireference computations on conjugated organic molecules.

RESUMO

This investigation provides accurate rate constant values for a set of elementary reactions relevant to mixtures between molecular hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) such as syngas. We considered intermediates and products including formaldehyde (H2CO), hydroxymethylene (c-HCOH and t-HCOH) and methanol (CH3OH). The calculations were performed employing the improved canonical variational transition state theory with small-curvature tunneling corrections based on high-level electronic structure results. This study demonstrates for the first time that H2 can act as an effective catalyst to the reaction from t-HCOH to H2CO. In this case, the adiabatic barrier height for the reaction decreases from 30.6 kcal⋅mol- 1 to 18.1 kcal⋅mol- 1 in the presence of H2. The results obtained here can improve the comprehension regarding processes such as the combustion of hydrogen-rich syngas.

RESUMO

The reaction between carbon monoxide and water was studied occurring in an aerosol medium rich in methanol. This environment is plausible for the primitive and prebiotic Earth atmosphere. The chemical environment is expressed in terms of dielectric constant (ε) and the chemical system was modeled employing the polarizable continuum model (PCM). The main results were acquired from calculations employing the M06-2X density functional for the electronic structure calculations and the canonical variational theory with small curvature tunneling for the chemical kinetic calculations. The rise of ε affects both the thermochemistry and the kinetics of the reaction, increasing the barrier height and decreasing the rate constant for the reaction occurring at room temperature. For example, the rate constant at 300 K is 5-10× 10- 53 cm3 ⋅molecule- 1 ⋅s- 1 for low dielectric constant (ε < 3) and around 2-4× 10- 53 cm3 ⋅molecule- 1 ⋅s- 1 for ε between 7 and 40. Our results indicate that the ε variation allows a fine tuning to the rate of the reaction.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Few experimental studies on the CH + CO2 global reaction propose H, CO, and HCO as major products. However, the reaction mechanisms behind this process have not yet been elucidated. Moreover, some intriguing kinetic particularities were noticed in these previous investigations. The advanced theoretical study performed here shows that a CH insertion mechanism is capable of explaining all the experimental data available. Hence, the strong deviations from a traditional Arrhenius behavior ascribed to the rate-determining elementary reaction (the CH insertion step) account for the kinetic particularities observed experimentally. A change in the preferred product channel as temperatures increase (from HCO + CO to H + 2CO) is also predicted to occur due to the HCO decomposition, although the CH depletion rates in typical conditions are not affected by this additional step.

RESUMO

In recent years, ozone and its isotopologues have been a topic of interest in many fields of research, due to its importance in atmospheric chemistry and its anomalous isotopic enrichment-or the so-called "mass-independent fractionation." In the field of potential energy surface (PES) creation, debate over the existence of a potential barrier just under the dissociation threshold (referred to as a "potential reef") has plagued research for some years. Recently, Dawes and co-workers [Dawes, Lolur, Li, Jiang, and Guo (DLLJG) J. Chem. Phys. 139, 201103 (2013)] created a highly accurate global PES, for which the reef is found to be replaced with a (monotonic) "plateau." Subsequent dynamical calculations on this "DLLJG" PES have shown improved agreement with experiment, particularly the vibrational spectrum. However, it is well known that reaction dynamics is also highly influenced by the rovibrational states, especially in cases like ozone that assume a Lindemann-type mechanism. Accordingly, we present the first significant step toward a complete characterization of the rovibrational spectrum for various isotopologues of ozone, computed using the DLLJG PES together with the ScalIT suite of parallel codes. Additionally, artificial neural networks are used in an innovative fashion-not to construct the PES function per se but rather to greatly speed up its evaluation.

RESUMO

The reaction of methanol (CH3OH) with atomic nitrogen was studied considering three elementary reactions, the hydrogen abstractions from the hydroxyl or methyl groups (R1 and R3, respectively) and the C-O bond break (R2). Thermochemical properties were obtained using ab initio methods and density functional theory approximations with aug-cc-pVXZ (X = T and Q) basis sets. The minimum energy path was built with a dual-level methodology using the BB1K functional as the low-level and the CCSD(T) as the high-level. This surface was used to calculate the thermal rate constants in the frame of variational transitional state theory considering the tunneling effects. Our results indicate the dehydrogenation of the methyl group (R3) as the dominant path with k R3 = 7.5 × 10-27 cm3·molecule-1·s-1 at 300 K. The thermal rate constants were fitted to a modified Arrhenius equation for use in mechanism studies of the methanol decomposition.

RESUMO

The reaction system formed by the methanethiol molecule (CH3SH) and a hydrogen atom was studied via three elementary reactions, two hydrogen abstractions and the C-S bond cleavage (CH3SH + H → CH3S + H2 (R1); → CH2SH + H2 (R2); → CH3 + H2S (R3)). The stable structures were optimized with various methodologies of the density functional theory and the MP2 method. Two minimum energy paths for each elementary reaction were built using the BB1K and MP2 methodologies, and the electronic properties on the reactants, products, and saddle points were improved with coupled cluster theory with single, double, and connected triple excitations (CCSD(T)) calculations. The sensitivity of coupling the low and high-level methods to calculate the thermochemical and rate constants were analyzed. The thermal rate constants were obtained by means of the improved canonical variational theory (ICVT) and the tunneling corrections were included with the small curvature tunneling (SCT) approach. Our results are in agreement with the previous experimental measurements and the calculated branching ratio for R1:R2:R3 is equal to 0.96:0:0.04, with kR1 = 9.64 × 10-13 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at 298 K.

RESUMO

The kinetics of the reaction of N2H4 with oxygen depends sensitively on the initial conditions used. In oxygen-rich systems, the rate constant shows a conventional positive temperature dependence, while in hydrazine-rich setups the dependence is negative in certain temperature ranges. In this study, a theoretical model is presented that adequately reproduces the experimental results trend and values for hydrazine-rich environment, consisting of the hydrogen abstraction from the hydrazine (N2H4) dimer by an oxygen atom. The thermochemical properties of the reaction were computed using two quantum chemical approaches, the coupled cluster theory with single, double, and noniterative triple excitations (CCSD(T)) and the M06-2X DFT approach with the aug-cc-pVTZ and the maug-cc-pVTZ basis sets, respectively. The kinetic data were calculated with the improved canonical variational theory (ICVT) using a dual-level methodology to build the reaction path. The tunneling effects were considered by means of the small curvature tunneling (SCT) approximation. Potential wells on both sides of the reaction ((N2H4)2 + O → N2H4···N2H3 + OH) were determined. A reaction path with a negative activation energy was found leading, in the temperature range of 250-423 K, to a negative dependence of the rate constant on the temperature, which is in good agreement with the experimental measurements. Therefore, the consideration of the hydrazine dimer model provides significantly improved agreement with the experimental data and should be included in the mechanism of the global N2H4 combustion process, as it can be particularly important in hydrazine-rich systems.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Thermochemical and kinetics properties of the hydrogen abstraction from the hydrazine molecule (N2H4) by an oxygen atom were computed using high-level ab initio methods and the M06-2X DFT functional with aug-cc-pVXZ (X = T, Q) and maug-cc-pVTZ basis sets, respectively. The properties along the reaction path were obtained using the dual-level methodology to build the minimum energy path with the potential energy surface obtained with the M06-2X method and thermochemical properties corrected with the CCSD(T)/CBS//M06-2X/maug-cc-pVTZ results. The thermal rate constants were calculated in the framework of variational transition-state theory. Wells on both sides of the reaction (reactants and products) were found and considered in the chemical kinetics calculations. Additionally, the product yields were investigated by means of a study of the triplet and singlet surfaces of the N2H4 + O → N2H2 + H2O reaction.

RESUMO

Sulfur-containing molecules have a significant impact on atmosphere and biosphere. In this work we studied, from the point of view of electronic structure and chemical kinetics methods, the elementary reactions between a methanethiol molecule and a sulfur atom leading to hydrogen abstraction C-S bond cleavage (CH(3)SH+S; R1:→ CH(3)S+SH; R2: → CH(2)SH+SH; R3:→ CH(3)+HS(2)). The geometrical structures of the reactants, products, and saddle points for the three reaction paths were optimized using the BB1K method with the aug-cc-pV(T+d)Z basis set. The thermochemical properties were improved using single point coupled-cluster (CCSD(T)) calculations on the BB1K geometries followed by extrapolation to the complete basis set (CBS) limit. This methodology was previously applied and has given accurate values of thermochemical and kinetics properties when compared to benchmark calculations and experimental data. For each reaction, the thermal rate constants were calculated using the improved canonical variational theory (ICVT) including the zero-curvature (ICVT/ZCT) and small-curvature (ICVT/SCT) tunneling corrections. For comparison, the overall ICVT/SCT reaction rate constant at 300 K obtained with single-point CCSD(T)/CBS calculations for the CH(3)SH+S reaction is approximately 1400 times lower than the isovalent CH(3)SH+O reaction, obtained with CVT/SCT. The reaction path involving the hydrogen abstraction from the thiol group is the most important reactive path in all temperatures.

RESUMO

Accurate potential energy curves and molecular constants for the low-lying electronic states of CuX(y) (X = B, Al; y = 0, +1) were investigated using the complete active space self-consistent field/multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) methodology with aug-cc-pV5Z basis set. The photoionization spectra of CuX were computed, showing electron detachment in the region of far ultraviolet. The results complement the previous theoretical characterizations and the few experimental studies. A comparative analysis was carried out concerning the different choices of reference configuration state functions in the MRCI calculations with and without the contribution of scalar relativistic effects. The results obtained with a small reference set adequately constructed are competitive to those using a much larger number of configuration state functions, and also the scalar relativistic effects improve significantly the molecular constants in this kind of system containing a 3d metal atom.