Kinetic energy transition state theory

The preexponential factors for each of the reaction steps can, in principle, be estimated using either gas kinetics or transition state theory. Desorption occurs when the adsorbate-adsorbent bond acquires the required activation energy for desorption in the form of vibrational energy. To a first approximation the vibrational frequency can be assumed to be approximately 10 s for the temperature at which desorption proceeds at a significant rate. The frequency of bond rupture is given by... 

A more general, and for the moment, less detailed description of the progress of chemical reactions, was developed in the transition state theory of kinetics. This approach considers tire reacting molecules at the point of collision to form a complex intermediate molecule before the final products are formed. This molecular species is assumed to be in thermodynamic equilibrium with the reactant species. An equilibrium constant can therefore be described for the activation process, and this, in turn, can be related to a Gibbs energy of activation ... 

The vertical axis is free energy, showing AGO for the net conversion of A to P, and AG, the activation free energy for each of the kinetic steps. According to Eyring s transition state theory (Chapter 7), AG is given by... 

Kinetics on the level of individual molecules is often referred to as reaction dynamics. Subtle details are taken into account, such as the effect of the orientation of molecules in a collision that may result in a reaction, and the distribution of energy over a molecule s various degrees of freedom. This is the fundamental level of study needed if we want to link reactivity to quantum mechanics, which is really what rules the game at this fundamental level. This is the domain of molecular beam experiments, laser spectroscopy, ah initio theoretical chemistry and transition state theory. It is at this level that we can learn what determines whether a chemical reaction is feasible. 

Various statistical treatments of reaction kinetics provide a physical picture for the underlying molecular basis for Arrhenius temperature dependence. One of the most common approaches is Eyring transition state theory, which postulates a thermal equilibrium between reactants and the transition state. Applying statistical mechanical methods to this equilibrium and to the inherent rate of activated molecules transiting the barrier leads to the Eyring equation (Eq. 10.3), where k is the Boltzmann constant, h is the Planck s constant, and AG is the relative free energy of the transition state [note Eq. (10.3) ignores a transmission factor, which is normally 1, in the preexponential term]. 

A simplified approach is statistical rate theory (transition state theory) with the help of which the overall rate constant k(T) may be obtained from potential energy surface (PES) in a single jump averaging out all of the intermediate details. It is generally not possible to extract microscopic details such as energy-dependent cross sections from conventional kinetics experiments. The preferable approach is to calculate microscopic quantities from some model and then perform the downward averaging for comparison with measured quantities. 

Application of the Kurz approach to CD-mediated reactions, whether they be accelerated or retarded, is straightforward (Tee, 1989), provided appropriate kinetic data are available. From the rate constants A u for the normal, uncatalysed reaction (2) and for the mediated ( catalysed ) reaction (k2 = kJKs) as in (3), application of simple transition state theory, in the manner shown above, leads to (9), where now Krs is the apparent dissociation constant of the transition state of the CD-mediated reaction (symbolized here as TS CD) into the transition state of the normal reaction (TS) and the CD. This constant and its logarithm, which is proportional to a free energy difference, is a valuable probe of the kinetic effects of CDs on reactions. 

The kinetic parameters for the reactions of both methanol and ethanol listed in Tables VIII-XI show some interesting features. First, the frequency factors for the decomposition of the alkoxide intermediates to form the aldehydes were observed to be within an order of magnitude of 10 sec as is expected from simple transition state theory. The activation energy for the transfer of the hydrogen atoms from the alkoxide to the surface was... 

Recently, transition state theory calculations were applied to a class of reactions involving OH radicals and haloalkanes, again to account systematically for the expected curvature in Arrhenius plots for these reactions (Cohen and Benson, 1987a). Subsequently, empirical relationships were also derived for the a priori determination of pre-exponential factors (A) and activation energies ( ) based on an assumed T dependency of the pre-exponential factor (Cohen and Benson, 1987b). This and related studies clearly illustrate the broad utility of transition state theory in the systematic development of detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms. 

In siunmary, although the application of detailed chemical kinetic modeling to heterogeneous reactions is possible, the effort needed is considerably more involved than in the gas-phase reactions. The thermochemistry of surfaces, clusters, and adsorbed species can be determined in a manner analogous to those associated with the gas-phase species. Similarly, rate parameters of heterogeneous elementary reactions can be estimated, via the application of the transition state theory, by determining the thermochemistry of saddle points on potential energy surfaces. 

The most satisfactory situation for making an extrapolation of rate data to the true threshold arises when the threshold is uncertain, but we can confidently calculate the functional form of the rate-energy curve from accurate kinetic theory. For small systems, it is feasible to calculate dissociation rates by quantum methods, but this is not yet feasible for the systems of interest to us. Various approaches to variational transition-state theory (VTST) provide classical or semiclassical calculations that are feasible for large systems and seem to be accurate when carefully... 

The formidable problems that are associated with the interpretation of LP kinetic data for nonstatistical IM reactions can be entirely avoided if the reactions can be studied in the HPL of kinetic behavior. In the HPL, the energy content of the initially formed species, X and Y, in reaction (2) would be very rapidly changed by collisions with the buffer gas so that the altered species, X and Y, would have normal Boltzmann distributions of energy. Furthermore, those Boltzmann energy distributions would be continuously refreshed as the most energetic X and Y within the distributions move forwards or backwards along the reaction coordinate. The interpretation of rate constants measured in the HPL is expected to be relatively straightforward because conventional transition-state theory can then be applied. 

State is that assembly of atoms or moieties that closely resembles the reactant(s), such that only a relatively small reorganization will generate the reactant(s). Analogously, a late transition state more closely resembles the structure of the reaction product(s). See Chemical Kinetics Transition State Theory Potential Energy Surface Hammond Principle Transition Structure... 

TRANSITION STATE THEORY POTENTIAL ENERGY SUREACE HAMMOND PRINCIPLE TRANSITION STRUCTURE CHEMICAL KINETICS TRANSITION-STATE ANALOGUES MOLECULAR SIMILARITY... 

The field of chemical kinetics is far reaching and well developed. If the full energy surface for the atoms participating in a chemical reaction is known (or can be calculated), sophisticated rate theories are available to provide accurate rate information in regimes where simple transition state theory is not accurate. A classic text for this field is K. J. Laidler, Chemical Kinetics, 3rd ed., Prentice Hall, New York, 1987. A more recent book related to this topic is I. Chorkendorff and J. W. Niemantsverdriet, Concepts of Modern Catalysis and Kinetics, 2nd ed., Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2007. Many other books in this area are also available. 

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