Kramers-Grote Hynes theory, chemical

Chapters 9-11 deal with elementary reactions in condensed phases. Chapter 9 is on the energetics of solvation and, for bimolecular reactions, the important interplay between diffusion and chemical reaction. Chapter 10 is on the calculation of reaction rates according to transition-state theory, including static solvent effects that are taken into account via the so-called potential-of-mean force. Finally, in Chapter 11, we describe how dynamical effects of the solvent may influence the rate constant, starting with Kramers theory and continuing with the more recent Grote-Hynes theory for... 

In the previous sections a model of the frequency-dependent collisional friction has been derived. Because the zero-frequency friction for a spherical particle in a dense fluid is well modeled by the Stokes-Einstein result, even for particles of similar size as the bath particles, there has been considerable interest in generalizing the hydrodynamic approach used to derive this result into the frequency domain in order to derive a frequency-dependent friction that takes into account collective bath motions. The theory of Zwanzig and Bixon, corrected by Metiu, Oxtoby, and Freed, has been invoked to explain deviation from the Kramers theory for unimolec-ular chemical reactions. The hydrodynamic friction can be used as input in the Grote-Hynes theory [Eq. (2.35)] to determine the reactive frequency and hence the barrier crossing rate of the molecular reaction. However, the use of sharp boundary conditions leads to an unphysical nonzero high-frequency limit to Ib(s). which compromises its utility. 

We shall present here an equilibrium simulation of the transport of a solute across a liquid-liquid interface, which permits to measure the rate constant. This work has been done with the same rationale than other recent molecular dynamics studies of chemical kinetics /5,6/. The idea is to obtain by simulation, at the same time, a computation of the mean potential as a function of the reaction coordinate and a direct measure of the rate constant. The mean potential can then be used as an input for a theoretical expression of the rate constant, using transition state /7/, Kramers /8/ or Grote-Hynes /9/ theories for instance. The comparaison can then be done in order to give a correct description of the kinetics process. A distinct feature of molecular dynamics, with respect to an experimental testing of theoretical results, is that the numerical simulations have both aspects, theoretical and experimental. Indeed, the computation of mean potentials, as functions of the microscopic models used, is simple to obtain here whereas an analytical derivation would be a heavy task. On the other hand, the computation of the kinetics constant is more comparable to an experimental output. 

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