Computational study of the post-transition state dynamics for the OH + CH3OH reaction probed by photodetachment of the CH3O-(H2O) anion.

Dissociative photodetachment dynamics simulations were conducted to study the CH3O-(H2O) → CH3O + H2O + e- reaction using classical molecular dynamics (MD) and ring-polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD) techniques on two newly formulated neutral potential energy surfaces (PES1 and PES2) by different research groups. While the dissociation dynamics exhibited similarities between classical MD and RPMD, there were noticeable differences in the fluctuation of probability densities for the internal modes due to nuclear quantum effects. Upon comparison of our findings with experimental data concerning the electron binding energy distribution and photofragment relative energy, it suggests that the potential energy landscapes of PES2 are reasonably precise. The time evolution of occupied vibrational states of the H2O photofragment is presented in this study.

Theoretical Study of the Thermal Rate Coefficients of the H3+ + C2H4 Reaction: Dynamics Study on a Full-Dimensional Potential Energy Surface.

Ion-molecular reactions play a significant role in molecular evolution within the interstellar medium. In this study, the entrance channel reaction, H3+ + C2H4 → H2 + C2H5+, was investigated using classical molecular dynamic (classical MD) and ring polymer molecular dynamic (RPMD) simulation techniques. We developed an analytical potential energy surface function with a permutationally invariant polynomial basis, specifically employing the monomial symmetrized approach. Our dynamic simulations reproduced the rate coefficient of 300 K for H3+ + C2H4 → H2 + C2H5+, aligning reasonably well with the values in the kinetic database commonly utilized in astrochemistry. The thermal rate coefficients obtained using both the classical MD and RPMD techniques exhibited an increase from 100 K to 300 K as the temperature rose. Additionally, we analyzed the excess energy distribution of the C2H5+ fragment with respect to temperature to investigate the indirect reaction pathway of C2H5+ → H2 + C2H3+. This result suggests that the indirect reaction pathway of C2H5+ → H2 + C2H3+ holds minor significance, although the distribution highly depends on the collisional temperature.

Possible Roles of Transition Metal Cations in the Formation of Interstellar Benzene via Catalytic Acetylene Cyclotrimerization.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous interstellar molecules. However, the formation mechanisms of PAHs and even the simplest cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, benzene, are not yet fully understood. Recently, we reported the statistical and dynamical properties in the reaction mechanism of Fe+-catalyzed acetylene cyclotrimerization, whereby three acetylene molecules are directly converted to benzene. In this study, we extended our previous work and explored the possible role of the complex of other 3d transition metal cations, TM+ (TM = Sc, Ti, Mn, Co, and Ni), as a catalyst in acetylene cyclotrimerization. Potential energy profiles for bare TM+-catalyst (TM = Sc and Ti), for TM+NC--catalyst (TM = Sc, Ti, Mn, Co, and Ni), and for TM+-(H2O)8-catalyst (TM = Sc and Ti) systems were obtained using quantum chemistry calculations, including the density functional theory levels. The calculation results show that the scandium and titanium cations act as efficient catalysts in acetylene cyclotrimerization and that reactants, which contain an isolated acetylene and (C2H2)2 bound to a bare (ligated) TM cation (TM = Sc and Ti), can be converted into a benzene-metal-cation product complex without an entrance barrier. We found that the number of electrons in the 3d orbitals of the transition metal cation significantly contributes to the catalytic efficiency in the acetylene cyclotrimerization process. On-the-fly Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations of the Ti+-NC- and Ti+-(H2O)8 complexes were also performed to comprehensively understand the nuclear dynamics of the reactions. The computational results suggest that interstellar benzene can be produced via acetylene cyclotrimerization reactions catalyzed by transition metal cation complexes.

Dynamics study of the post-transition-state-bifurcation process of the (HCOOH)H+ → CO + H3O+/HCO+ + H2O dissociation: application of machine-learning techniques.

The process of protonated formic acid dissociating from the transition state was studied using ring-polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD), classical MD, and quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) simulations. Temperature had a strong influence on the branching fractions for the HCO+ + H2O and CO + H3O+ dissociation channels. The RPMD and classical MD simulations showed similar behavior, but the QCT dynamics were significantly different owing to the excess energies in the quasi-classical trajectories. Machine-learning analysis identified several key features in the phase information of the vibrational motions at the transition state. We found that the initial configuration and momentum of a hydrogen atom connected to a carbon atom and the shrinking coordinate of the CO bond at the transition state play a role in the dynamics of HCO+ + H2O production.

Ring-polymer Molecular Dynamics Simulation for the Adsorption of H2 on Ice Clusters (H2 O)n (n=8, 10, and 12).

In the interstellar medium, the H2 adsorption and desorption on the solid water ice are crucial for chemical and physical processes. We have recently investigated the probabilities of H2 sticking on the (H2 O)8 ice, which has quadrilateral surfaces. We have extended the previous work using classical MD and ring-polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD) simulations to the larger ice clusters, (H2 O)10 and (H2 O)12 , which have pentagonal and hexagonal surfaces, respectively. The H2 sticking probabilities decreased as the temperature increased for both cluster cases, whereas the cluster-size-independent profiles were observed. It is thought that the size independence of the probabilities is qualitatively understood from the similar binding energies for all the three cluster systems. Furthermore, the RPMD sticking probabilities are smaller than the classical ones because of the reduction in the binding energies owing to nuclear quantum effects, such as vibrational quantization.

Ring-Polymer Molecular Dynamics and Kinetics for the H- + C2H2 → H2 + C2H- Reaction Using the Full-Dimensional Potential Energy Surface.

The H- + C2H2 → H2 + C2H- reaction is important in understanding the production mechanisms of anionic molecules in interstellar environments. Herein, the rate coefficients for the H- + C2H2 → H2 + C2H- reaction were calculated using ring-polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD), classical molecular dynamics (MD), and quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) approaches on a newly developed ab initio potential energy surface (PES) in full dimensions. PES was constructed by fitting a large number of ab initio energy points and their gradients using the permutationally invariant polynomial basis set method. There was no barrier in the reaction coordinates, which was a collinear-dominated reaction, and the reaction proceeded exothermically. It is found that the fitted PES provides the appropriate thermal rate coefficients based on all RPMD, classical MD, and QCT simulations at higher temperatures. The evaluation of the rate coefficients at lower temperatures should be conducted carefully because the fitting of the PES associated with the long-range interaction should be further improved. The spatial distribution of the nucleus allows a more effective attraction between the reactants.

Interstellar Benzene Formation Mechanisms via Acetylene Cyclotrimerization Catalyzed by Fe+ Attached to Water Ice Clusters: Quantum Chemistry Calculation Study.

Benzene is the simplest building block of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and has previously been found in the interstellar medium. Several barrierless reaction mechanisms for interstellar benzene formation that may operate under low-temperature and low-pressure conditions in the gas phase have been proposed. In this work, we studied different mechanisms for interstellar benzene formation based on acetylene cyclotrimerization catalyzed by Fe+ bound to solid water clusters through quantum chemistry calculations. We found that benzene is formed via a single-step process with one transition state from the three acetylene molecules on the Fe+(H2O)n (n = 1, 8, 10, 12 and 18) cluster surface. Moreover, the obtained mechanisms differed from those of single-atom catalysis, in which benzene is sequentially formed via multiple steps.

Ring-Polymer Molecular Dynamics Calculations of Thermal Rate Coefficients and Branching Ratios for the Interstellar H3+ + CO → H2 + HCO+/HOC+ Reaction and Its Deuterated Analogue.

The reaction between H3+ and CO is important in understanding the H3+ destruction mechanism in the interstellar medium. In this work, thermal rate coefficients for the H3+ + CO and D3+ + CO reactions are calculated using ring-polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD) on a high-level machine-learning potential energy surface. The RPMD results agree well with the classical molecular dynamics results, where nuclear quantum effects are completely ignored, whereas the agreement between the RPMD results and the previous quasi-classical trajectory is good only at low temperatures. The calculated [HCO+]/[HOC+] product branching ratios decrease as the temperature increases, and the product branching is exclusively determined by the initial collisional orientation, which governs the formation of an ion-dipole complex, H3+···CO or H3+···OC, that dissociates into H2 + HCO+ or H2 + HOC+, respectively, via a direct mechanism. However, the contribution of the indirect mechanism via the rearrangement between H3+···CO and H3+···OC increases as the temperature increases, although its absolute fraction is small.

On-the-Fly Ring-Polymer Molecular Dynamics Calculations of the Dissociative Photodetachment Process of the Oxalate Anion.

The dissociative photodetachment dynamics of the oxalate anion, C2O4H- + hν → CO2 + HOCO + e-, were theoretically studied using the on-the-fly path-integral and ring-polymer molecular dynamics methods, which can account for nuclear quantum effects at the density-functional theory level in order to compare with the recent experimental study using photoelectron-photofragment coincidence spectroscopy. To reduce computational time, the force acting on each bead of ring-polymer was approximately calculated from the first and second derivatives of the potential energy at the centroid position of the nuclei beads. We find that the calculated photoelectron spectrum qualitatively reproduces the experimental spectrum and that nuclear quantum effects are playing a role in determining spectral widths. The calculated coincidence spectrum is found to reasonably reproduce the experimental spectrum, indicating that a relatively large energy is partitioned into the relative kinetic energy between the CO2 and HOCO fragments. This is because photodetachment of the parent anion leads to Franck-Condon transition to the repulsive region of the neutral potential energy surface. We also find that the dissociation dynamics are slightly different between the two isomers of the C2O4H- anion with closed- and open-form structures.

Theoretical study of the dissociative photodetachment dynamics of the hydrated superoxide anion cluster.

The dissociative photodetachment of the hydrated superoxide anion cluster, O2-·H2O + hν → O2 + H2O + e-, is theoretically investigated using path-integral and ring-polymer molecular dynamics simulation methods, which can account for nuclear quantum effects. Full-dimensional potential energy surfaces for the anionic and lowest two neutral states (triplet and singlet spin states) are constructed based on extensive density-functional theory calculations. The calculated photoelectron spectrum agrees well with the experimental spectra measured for different photodetachment laser wavelengths. The calculated photoelectron-photofragment kinetic energy correlation spectrum also agrees well with previous experimental measurements. The dissociation mechanisms, including available energy partitioning and the importance of nuclear quantum effects in photodetachment, are discussed in detail.

Application of Reaction Path Search Calculations to Potential Energy Surface Fits.

There has been significant progress in recent years in the use of machine learning techniques to model high-dimensional reactive potential energy surfaces using large-scale data obtained from ab initio electronic structure calculations. In these methods, the strategy used to gather data becomes a key issue as the molecular size increases. In this work, we examine the applicability of the reaction path search algorithm implemented in the Global Reaction Route Mapping (GRRM) code as a data-gathering approach. The electronic energies and gradients sampled by using the GRRM calculation are directly used in potential energy surface fitting to a permutationally invariant polynomial function. This simple approach was applied to the HNS and HCNO reaction systems, and we found that the fitted potential energy surfaces reasonably reproduce the features of the electronic structure calculations used in the GRRM calculations. This suggests that the GRRM sampling scheme can be used to construct an initial potential energy surface.

Quantum calculations of the photoelectron spectra of the OH-·NH3 anion: implications for OH + NH3→ H2O + NH2 reaction dynamics.

We present the results of quantum dynamics calculations for analyzing the experimentally measured photoelectron spectra of the OH-·NH3 anion complex. Detachment of an excess electron of OH-·NH3 initially produces a molecular arrangement, which is close to the transition-state structure of the neutral OH + NH3→ H2O + NH2 hydrogen abstraction reaction due to the Franck-Condon principle, and thus finally leads to the OH + NH3 or H2O + NH2 asymptotic channel. We used both the path integral method and the reduced-dimensionality quantum wave packet method to simulate the photoelectron spectra of the OH-·NH3 anion. The calculated spectra were found to be in qualitative agreement with the experimental spectra. It was found that the photodetached complex mainly dissociates into the OH + NH3 channel; however, we found that the hydrogen exchange process also contributes to the photodetachment spectra.

Theoretical Analysis of the Formylmethylene Anion Photoelectron Spectrum: Importance of Wolff Rearrangement Dynamics.

Photoelectron spectroscopy of a molecular anion is very useful for investigating the transition state and intermediate regions on the reactive potential energy surfaces of a neutral system. In this work, we theoretically analyzed the previously measured photoelectron spectrum of the formylmethylene anion, HCCHO-. We simulated the photoelectron spectra for both the singlet and triplet states using the semiclassical method with quantum nuclear densities and Franck-Condon factor calculations with harmonic vibrational analysis. We also performed real-time quantum dynamics calculations to elucidate the importance of the Wolff rearrangement process, which leads to the stable product ketene from the carbene intermediate on the neutral singlet potential energy surface.

Franck-Condon simulations of transition-state spectra for the OH + H2O and OD + D2O reactions.

We present the results of quantum wave packet calculations performed to analyze the experimental transition-state spectra for the OH + H2O and OD + D2O reactions based on photodetachment of the H3O2- and D3O2- anions. We used a reduced-dimensionality model in which four normal-mode coordinates were considered for the neutral transition state. High-level ab initio potential energy surfaces were used for both the neutral and anionic states. The calculated spectra were found to be in reasonable agreement with the experimental spectra. The present study confirms that the vibrational progression observed experimentally is associated with the antisymmetric motion of the transferred H/D atom. We also found that the O-O stretching motion plays an important role in the transition-state dynamics. The influence of vibrational excitation of the H3O2- and D3O2- anions on the photodetachment spectra was also investigated.

Spin-inversion mechanisms in O2 binding to a model heme compound: A perspective from nonadiabatic wave packet calculations.

Spin-inversion dynamics in O2 binding to a model heme complex, which consisted of Fe(II)-porphyrin and imidazole, were studied using nonadiabatic wave packet dynamics calculations. We considered three active nuclear degrees of freedom in the dynamics, including the motions along the Fe-O distance, Fe-O-O angle, and Fe out-of-plane distance. Spin-free potential energy surfaces for the singlet, triplet, quintet, and septet states were developed using density functional theory calculations, and spin-orbit coupling elements were obtained from CASSCF-level electronic structure calculations. The spin-inversion mainly occurred between the singlet state and one of the triplet states due to large spin-orbit couplings and the contributions of other states were extremely small. The present quantum dynamics calculations suggested that the narrow crossing region model plays a dominant role in the O2 binding dynamics. In addition, the one-dimensional Landau-Zener model underestimated the nonadiabatic transition probability.

Quantum dynamics analysis of transition-state spectrum for the SH + H2S → H2S + SH reaction.

We present the results of quantum wave packet calculations analyzing the experimental transition-state spectrum for the SH + H2S hydrogen transfer reaction based on photodetachment of the H3S2- anion. We used a reduced-dimensionality model in which four normal-mode coordinates were considered for the dynamics of the neutral transition state. The four-dimensional potential energy surfaces for the anionic and neutral states were constructed using four different levels of theory, namely, MP2, B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, and LC-BLYP, with the aug-cc-pVDZ basis set. The spectrum calculated using the scaled MP2 potential energy surface was in reasonable agreement with the experimental spectrum. The present theoretical study confirms that the vibrational progression observed experimentally is associated with the antisymmetric motion of the transferred hydrogen atom. We also found that the S-S stretching motion plays an important role in the transition-state dynamics.

Positron-electron correlation-polarization potential model for positron binding in polyatomic molecules.

Positron binding energies (PBEs) of 41 polyatomic molecules were calculated using the positron-electron correlation-polarization potential (CPP) approach and compared with experimentally measured values. In this approach, the short-range positron-electron potential is modeled using the density-functional expression, whereas the long-range potential is approximated by the attractive polarization potential. The positron-electron CPP model based on local-density approximation yields larger PBEs than experimental values; however, the calculated values can be substantially improved by introducing generalized gradient approximation. We also investigated the conformational dependence of PBEs for representative molecules.

Reduced-Dimensionality Quantum Dynamics Study of the 3Fe(CO)4 + H2 1FeH2(CO)4 Spin-inversion Reaction.

Many chemical reactions of transition metal compounds involve a change in spin state via spin inversion, which is induced by relativistic spin-orbit coupling. In this work, we theoretically study the efficiency of a typical spin-inversion reaction, 3Fe(CO)4 + H2 1FeH2(CO)4. Structural and vibrational information on the spin-inversion point, obtained through the spin-coupled Hamiltonian approach, is used to construct three degree-of-freedom potential energy surfaces and to obtain singlet-triplet spin-orbit couplings. Using the developed spin-diabatic potential energy surfaces in reduced dimensions, we perform quantum nonadiabatic transition state wave packet calculations to obtain the cumulative reaction probability. The calculated cumulative reaction probability is found to be significantly larger than that estimated from the one-dimensional surface-hopping probability. This indicates the importance of both multidimensional and nuclear quantum effects in spin inversion for polyatomic chemical reaction systems.

Spin-inversion mechanisms in O2 binding to a model heme complex revisited by density function theory calculations.

Spin-inversion mechanisms in O2 binding to a model heme complex, consisting of Fe(II)-porphyrin and imidazole, were investigated using density-functional theory calculations. First, we applied the recently proposed mixed-spin Hamiltonian method to locate spin-inversion structures between different total spin multiplicities. Nine spin-inversion structures were successfully optimized for the singlet-triplet, singlet-quintet, triplet-quintet, and quintet-septet spin-inversion processes. We found that the singlet-triplet spin-inversion points are located around the potential energy surface region at short Fe-O distances, whereas the singlet-quintet and quintet-septet spin-inversion points are located at longer Fe-O distances. This suggests that both narrow and broad crossing models play roles in O2 binding to the Fe-porphyrin complex. To further understand spin-inversion mechanisms, we performed on-the-fly Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics calculations. The reaction coordinates, which are correlated to the spin-inversion dynamics between different spin multiplicities, are also discussed.

Theoretical Study on the Spectroscopic Observation of Intersystem Crossing between 3B1 and 1A1 States of GeH2 Using the GeH2- (2B1) Anion.

We performed nonadiabatic quantum wave packet dynamics calculations to simulate the photodetachment spectrum of the GeH2- (2B1) anion. We developed the (4 × 4) diabatic potential energy surfaces to describe the intersystem crossing transitions between the neutral 1A1 and 3B1 states induced by spin-orbit interactions based on ab initio calculations. The spin-orbit coupling matrix elements were calculated using the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian with the spin-free states obtained from the multireference configuration interaction method. The calculated photodetachment spectrum showed many intense peaks that could be assigned to the vibrational states mostly associated with the pure singlet or triplet spin states. However, we also found weak satellite peaks that could be assigned to vibrational states consisting of the highly excited vibrational state on the singlet surface and the low-lying vibrational state on the triplet surface.