Quasiclassical normal-mode sampling

Trajectories were initiated by generating initial conditions with the efficient microcanonical sampling or quasiclassical normal-mode sampling procedures at 54.6 or 146.0 kcalmoC1 of vibrational energy for trimethylene. Trimethylene was then placed in the center of a box, with periodic boundary conditions, and surrounded by an argon bath with an equilibrium temperature and density. Initially, trimethylene was in a nonequilibrium state with respect to the bath, since its coordinates and momenta were held fixed while the bath was equilibrated, and the trajectories were propagated until either cyclopropane or propene was formed. 

The stereochemical product distribution of the VCP rearrangement to CP was calculated based on quasiclassical trajectories (VENUS-MOPAQ run on a modified AMI PES parameterized to reproduce ab inito energies (AM1-SRP). Trajectories were initialized at TS1, TS2, and TS3 with quasiclassical TS sampling, in which initial coordinates and momenta that approximated a quantum mechanical Boltzmann distribution were generated by the TS normal-mode sampling procedure. 

The ring-opening reaction of cyclopropyl radical [Equation (7)] was shown to occur at 174°C to give ally radical, but the product stereochemistry was unclear. Ab initio direct dynamics study was carried out to clarify the stereochemical course of the reaction.40 Trajectories were initiated at the ringopening TS obtained at CASSCF(3,3)/6-31G(d), with quasiclassical normal sampling at the experimental temperature of 174°C. ZPE was included, and thermal vibrational energy was sampled from the normal-mode Boltzmann distribution. A rotational energy of RT/2 was added toward the allyl radical product. 

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