Three-state trajectory surface hopping studies of the photodissociation dynamics of formaldehyde on ab initio potential energy surfaces.

Full-dimensional, three-state, surface hopping calculations of the photodissociation dynamics of formaldehyde are reported on ab initio potential energy surfaces (PESs) for electronic states S(1), T(1), and S(0). This is the first such study initiated on S(1) with ab initio-calculated spin-orbit couplings among the three states. We employ previous PESs for S(0) and T(1), and a new PES for S(1), which we describe here, as well as new spin-orbit couplings.

Flexible, ab initio potential, and dipole moment surfaces for water. I. Tests and applications for clusters up to the 22-mer.

We report full-dimensional, ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces, denoted PES and DMS, respectively, for arbitrary numbers of water monomers. The PES is a sum of 1-, 2-, and 3-body potentials which can also be augmented by semiempirical long-range higher-body interactions. The 1-body potential is a spectroscopically accurate monomer potential, and the 2- and 3-body potentials are permutationally invariant fits to tens of thousands of CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ and MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ electronic energies, respectively.

Roaming radicals.

Roaming is a recently verified unusual pathway to molecular products from unimolecular dissociation of an energized molecule. Here we present the evidence for this pathway for H(2)CO and CH(3)CHO. Theoretical analysis shows that this path visits the plateau region of the potential energy surface near dissociation to radical products.

Full-dimensional, ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces for water.

We report full-dimensional, ab initio potential energy (PES) and dipole moment surfaces (DMS) for water. The PES is a sum of one-, two- and three-body terms. The three-body potential is a fit, reported here, to roughly 30,000 intrinsic three-body energies obtained with second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) and using the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set (avtz).

Quasiclassical trajectory calculations of the HO2 + NO reaction on a global potential energy surface.

We report quasiclassical trajectory calculations of the HO(2) + NO reaction using a new full dimensional, singlet potential energy surface (PES) which is a fit to more than 67 000 energies obtained with density functional theory-B3LYP/6-311G(d,p)-calculations. The PES is invariant with respect to permutation of like nuclei and describes all isomers of HOONO, HONO(2), saddle points connecting them and the OH + NO(2), HO(2) + NO channels. Quasiclassical trajectory calculations of cross-sections for the HO(2) + NO to form HOONO, HONO(2) and OH + NO(2) are done using this PES, for reactants in the ground vibrational state and rotational states sampled from a 300 K Boltzmann distribution.

Full-dimensional ab initio potential energy surface and vibrational configuration interaction calculations for vinyl.

The potential energy landscape and two permutationally invariant, full-dimensional ab initio-based potential energy surfaces (PESs) for the doublet vinyl radical, C(2)H(3), are described. The first of the two surfaces, denoted as PES/S, describes the equivalent CH(2)CH global minimum and the saddle point separating them, planar and nonplanar H-atom migration saddle points, a methylcarbyne local minimum that is due to a Jahn-Teller conical intersection, and the saddle point connecting it with the global minimum. The second PES, denoted PES/D, contains all stationary points of PES/S and in addition describes dissociation to C(2)H(2)+H fragments, including the saddle point to dissociation along a least-energy path.

Accurate ab initio potential energy surface, dynamics, and thermochemistry of the F+CH4-->HF+CH3 reaction.

An accurate full-dimensional global potential energy surface (PES) for the F+CH(4)-->HF+CH(3) reaction has been developed based on 19 384 UCCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ quality ab initio energy points obtained by an efficient composite method employing explicit UCCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVDZ and UMP2/aug-cc-pVXZ [X=D,T] computations. The PES contains a first-order saddle point, (CH(4)- -F)(SP), separating reactants from products, and also minima describing the van der Waals complexes, (CH(4)- - -F)(vdW) and (CH(3)- - -HF)(vdW), in the entrance and exit channels, respectively. The structures of these stationary points, as well as those of the reactants and products have been computed and the corresponding energies have been determined using basis set extrapolation techniques considering (a) electron correlation beyond the CCSD(T) level, (b) effects of the scalar relativity and the spin-orbit couplings, (c) diagonal Born-Oppenheimer corrections (DBOC), and (d) zero-point vibrational energies and thermal correction to the enthalpy at 298 K.

Photodissociation dynamics of formaldehyde initiated at the T1/S0 minimum energy crossing configurations.

The photodissociation dynamics of H(2)CO is known to involve electronic states S(1), T(1) and S(0). Recent quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) calculations, in conjunction with experiment, have identified a "roaming" H-atom pathway to the molecular products, H(2)+CO [Townsend; et al. Science 2004, 306, 1158.

Roaming is the dominant mechanism for molecular products in acetaldehyde photodissociation.

Reaction pathways that bypass the conventional saddle-point transition state (TS) are of considerable interest and importance. An example of such a pathway, termed "roaming," has been described in the photodissociation of H(2)CO. In a combined experimental and theoretical study, we show that roaming pathways are important in the 308-nm photodissociation of CH(3)CHO to CH(4) + CO.

"Roaming" dynamics in CH3CHO photodissociation revealed on a global potential energy surface.

We present a quasiclassical trajectory study of the photodissociation of CH3CHO to molecular and radical products, CH4 + CO and CH3 + HCO, respectively, using global ab initio-based potentials energy surfaces. The molecular products have a well-defined potential barrier transition state (TS) but the dynamics exhibit strong deviations from the TS pathway to these products. The radical products are formed via a variational TS.

Determination of the rate constant for sulfur recombination by quasiclassical trajectory calculations.

The sulfur recombination reaction has been thought of as one of the most important chemical reactions in the volcanic activities of the planet. It is also important in determining the propagation of elemental sulfur in the atmosphere. There have been two experimental attempts to determine the reaction rate of the S+S-->S(2) recombination, however their results differ by four orders of magnitude.

Hg+Br-->HgBr recombination and collision-induced dissociation dynamics.

A global potential energy surface has been constructed for the system HgBr+Ar-->Hg+Br+Ar to determine temperature dependent rate constants for the collision-induced dissociation (CID) and recombination of Hg and Br atoms. The surface was decomposed using a many-body expansion. Accurate two-body potentials for HgBr, HgAr, and ArBr were calculated using coupled cluster theory with single and double excitations and a perturbative treatment of triple excitations [CCSD(T)], as well as the multireference averaged coupled pair functional method.

Quasiclassical trajectory calculations of the OH+NO2 association reaction on a global potential energy surface.

We report a full-dimensional potential energy surface (PES) for the OH+NO(2) reaction based on fitting more than 55,000 energies obtained with density functional theory-B3LYP6-311G(d,p) calculations. The PES is invariant with respect to permutation of like nuclei and describes all isomers of HOONO, HONO(2), and the fragments OH+NO(2) and HO(2)+NO. Detailed comparison of the structures, energies, and harmonic frequencies of various stationary points on the PES are made with previous and present high-level ab initio calculations.

Quasiclassical trajectory calculations of acetaldehyde dissociation on a global potential energy surface indicate significant non-transition state dynamics.

A recent experimental study [Houston, P. L.; Kable, S.

Aqueous microsolvation of mercury halide species.

The effects of aqueous solvation on the thermochemistry of reactions between mercury and small halogen molecules has been investigated by the microsolvation approach using ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The structures, vibrational frequencies, and binding energies of 1, 2, and 3 water molecules with mercury-halide (HgBr2, HgBrCl, HgCl2, HgBr, and HgCl) and related mercury and halogen species (Br2, BrCl, Cl2, Cl, Hg, and Br) have been computed with second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) and the B3LYP density functional method. Accurate incremental water binding energies have been obtained at the complete basis set (CBS) limit using sequences of correlation consistent basis sets, including higher order correlation effects estimated from coupled cluster calculations.

On the spectroscopic and thermochemical properties of ClO, BrO, IO, and their anions.

A coupled cluster composite approach has been used to accurately determine the spectroscopic constants, bond dissociation energies, and heats of formation for the X1(2)II(3/2) states of the halogen oxides ClO, BrO, and IO, as well as their negative ions ClO-, BrO-, and IO-. After determining the frozen core, complete basis set (CBS) limit CCSD(T) values, corrections were added for core-valence correlation, relativistic effects (scalar and spin-orbit), the pseudopotential approximation (BrO and IO), iterative connected triple excitations (CCSDT), and iterative quadruples (CCSDTQ). The final ab initio equilibrium bond lengths and harmonic frequencies for ClO and BrO differ from their accurate experimental values by an average of just 0.

Chemically accurate thermochemistry of cadmium: An ab initio study of Cd + XY (X = H, O, Cl, Br; Y = Cl, Br).

Using a composite coupled cluster method employing sequences of correlation consistent basis sets for complete basis set (CBS) extrapolations and with explicit treatment of core-valence correlation and scalar and spin-orbit relativistic effects, the 0 K enthalpies of a wide range of cadmium-halide reactions, namely, Cd + (HCl, HBr, ClO, BrO, Cl2, BrCl, Br2) have been determined to an estimated accuracy of +/-1 kcal/mol. In addition, accurate equilibrium geometries, harmonic frequencies, and dissociation energies have been calculated at the same level of theory for all the diatomic (e.g.

Accurate global potential energy surface and reaction dynamics for the ground state of HgBr2.

A global potential energy surface (PES) for the (1)A' ground state of HgBr(2) has been constructed in order to determine the rate constants for atmospherically important reactions involving mercury and bromine. The total energy of HgBr(2) was calculated by the multireference configuration interaction level of theory with series of correlation consistent basis sets up to quadruple-zeta quality with subsequent extrapolation to the complete basis set limit. An additive correction for spin-orbit coupling was also included.

Ab initio thermochemistry involving heavy atoms: an investigation of the reactions Hg + IX (X = I, Br, Cl, O).

Accurate 0 K enthalpies have been calculated for reactions of mercury with a series of small iodine-containing molecules (I2, IBr, ICl, and IO). The calculations have been carried out with the coupled cluster singles and doubles method with a perturbative correction for connected triple excitations [CCSD(T)] using sequences of correlation consistent basis sets and accurate relativistic pseudopotentials. Corrections have been included to account for core-valence correlation, spin-orbit coupling, scalar relativity, and the Lamb shift.