Simulation of ethylene

Snapshot of a Pd(lOO) surface during a simulation of ethylene hydrogenation at 298 K, 25 torr of ethylene and 100 torr of dihydrogen. [Figure from First-Principles-Based Monte Carlo Simulation of Ethylene Hydrogenation Kinetics on Pd, by E. W. Hansen and M. Neurock, m Journal of Catalysis, Volume 196 241, copyright 2000 by Academic Press, reproduced by permission of the publisher and authors.]... 

Figure 16 A single snapshot from the simulation of ethylene hydrogenation over the well-dispersed Pdg3 5%Aug 25% alloyed surface. Ethylene adsorbs on both Pd and An sites. Atomic hydrogen however prefers only the threefold fee sites of Pd. 

Finally, dynamic Monte Carlo simulations are very useful in assessing the overall reactivity of a catalytic surface, which must include the effects of lateral interactions between adsorbates and the mobility of adsorbates on the surface in reaching the active sites. The importance of treating lateral interactions was demonstrated in detailed ab initio-based dynamic Monte Carlo simulations of ethylene hydrogenation on palladium and PdAu alloys. Surface diffusion of CO on PtRu alloy surfaces was shown to be essential to explain the qualititative features of the experimental CO stripping voltammetry. Without adsorbate mobility, these bifunctional surfaces do not show any catalytic enhancement with respect to the pure metals. 

FIGURE 12.23 Influence of gas distributor on particle and gas temperatures (simulations of ethylene polymerization, 14000 particles, u 3umf, t = 6.25, from Kaneko et ai, 1999). 

Hansen, E., Neurock, M. First-principles-based Monte Carlo simulation of ethylene hydrogenation kinetics on Pd. J. Catal. 2000,1%, 241-52. 

E. W. Hansen and M. Neurock,/. Catal., 196, 241 (2000). First-Principles-Based Monte Carlo Simulation of Ethylene Hydrogenation Kinetics on Pd. 

The second aspect, predicting reaction dynamics, including the quantum behaviour of protons, still has some way to go There are really two separate problems the simulation of a slow activated event, and the quantum-dynamical aspects of a reactive transition. Only fast reactions, occurring on the pico- to nanosecond time scale, can be probed by direct simulation an interesting example is the simulation by ab initio MD of metallocene-catalysed ethylene polymerisation by Meier et al. [93]. 

Fig. 6. Snapshot from a dynamic density functional simulation of the self-organisation of the block copolymer PL64 (containing 30 propylene oxide rmd 26 ethylene oxide units (EO)i3(PO)3o(EO)i3) in 70% aqueous solution. The simulation was carried out during 6250 time steps on a 64 x 64 x 64 grid (courtesy of B.A.C. van Vlimmeren and J.G.E.M. Praaije, Groningen).

Abstract. This paper presents results from quantum molecular dynamics Simula tions applied to catalytic reactions, focusing on ethylene polymerization by metallocene catalysts. The entire reaction path could be monitored, showing the full molecular dynamics of the reaction. Detailed information on, e.g., the importance of the so-called agostic interaction could be obtained. Also presented are results of static simulations of the Car-Parrinello type, applied to orthorhombic crystalline polyethylene. These simulations for the first time led to a first principles value for the ultimate Young s modulus of a synthetic polymer with demonstrated basis set convergence, taking into account the full three-dimensional structure of the crystal. 

The full ab-initio molecular dynamics simulation revealed the insertion of ethylene into the Zr-C bond, leading to propyl formation. The dynamics simulations showed that this first step in ethylene polymerisation is extremely fast. Figure 2 shows the distance between the carbon atoms in ethylene and between an ethylene carbon and the methyl carbon, from which it follows that the insertion time is only about 170 fs. This observation suggests the absence of any significant barrier of activation at this stage of the polymerisation process, and for this catalyst. The absence or very small value of a barrier for insertion of ethylene into a bis-cyclopentadienyl titanocene or zirconocene has also been confirmed by static quantum simulations reported independently... 

One of the main advantages of the stochastic dynamics methods is that dramatic tirn savings can he achieved, which enables much longer stimulations to he performed. Fc example, Widmalm and Pastor performed 1 ns molecular dynamics and stochastic dynamic simulations of an ethylene glycol molecule in aqueous solution of the solute and 259 vvatc jnolecules [Widmalm and Pastor 1992]. The molecular dynamics simulation require 300 hours whereas the stochastic dynamics simulation of the solute alone required ju 24 minutes. The dramatic reduction in time for the stochastic dynamics calculation is du not only to the very much smaller number of molecules present hut also to the fact the longer time steps can often he used in stochastic dynamics simulations. 

Process Safety Considerations. Unit optimization studies combined with dynamic simulations of the process may identify operating conditions that are unsafe regarding fire safety, equipment damage potential, and operating sensitivity. Several instances of fires and deflagrations in ethylene oxide production units have been reported in the past (160). These incidents have occurred in both the reaction cycle and ethylene oxide refining areas. Therefore, ethylene oxide units should always be designed to prevent the formation of explosive gas mixtures. 

Active Figure 5.5 A hypothetical transition-state structure for the first step of the reaction of ethylene with HBr. The C=C 77 bond and H-Br bond are just beginning to break, and the C-H bond is just beginning to form. Sign in afwww.thomsonedu.com to see a simulation based on this figure and to take a short quiz. 

In this contribution, in order to illustrate tlie importance of shake-up bands for extended systems, we simulate and compare on correlated grounds the ionization spectra of polyethylene and poly acetylene, the most simplest systems one can consider to represent insulating or semi-conducting polymers. Conclusions for the infinite stereoregular chains are drawn by exU apolation of the trends observed with the first terms of the related n-alkane or acene series, CnH2n+2 and CnHn+2. respectively, with n=2, 4, 6 and 8. Our simulations are also compared to X-ray photoionization spectra (7) recorded on gas phase samples of ethylene, butadiene and hexatriene, which provide a clear experimental manisfestation of the construction of correlation bands (8-12). 

Subsequent work by Johansson and Lofroth [183] compared this result with those obtained from Brownian dynamics simulation of hard-sphere diffusion in polymer networks of wormlike chains. They concluded that their theory gave excellent agreement for small particles. For larger particles, the theory predicted a faster diffusion than was observed. They have also compared the diffusion coefficients from Eq. (73) to the experimental values [182] for diffusion of poly(ethylene glycol) in k-carrageenan gels and solutions. It was found that their theory can successfully predict the diffusion of solutes in both flexible and stiff polymer systems. Equation (73) is an example of the so-called stretched exponential function discussed further later. 

The kinetic parameters associated with the synthesis of norbomene are determined by using the experimental data obtained at elevated temperatures and pressures. The reaction orders with respect to cyclopentadiene and ethylene are estimated to be 0.96 and 0.94, respectively. According to the simulation results, the conversion increases with both temperature and pressure but the selectivity to norbomene decreases due to the formation of DMON. Therefore, the optimal reaction conditions must be selected by considering these features. When a CSTR is used, the appropriate reaction conditions are found to be around 320°C and 1200 psig with 4 1 mole ratio of ethylene to DCPD in the feed stream. Also, it is desirable to have a Pe larger than 50 for a dispersed PFR and keep the residence time low for a PFR with recycle stream. 

Ethylene oxide is used in the manufacture of raw materials and can be used to sterilize the surface of finished products and containers. Unfortunately, ethylene oxide is a genotoxic carcinogen and its use is not accepted without justification. In any event, tight controls are required on residues of ethylene oxide and its halohydrin-related substances. For raw materials the amount of these residues is limited to 1 and 50 pig/g, respectively for finished products 1 and 50 pg/g, respectively (with any affected ingredients subject to the control limits for raw materials) and for containers, based on simulated use, 1 and 50 pg/mL container volume, respectively. 

Determination of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol in food simulants... 

The generalized Woodward-Hoffmann rule suggests that a synchronous addition of disulfonium dications at the double C=C bond of alkenes would be a thermally forbidden process and so would be hardly probable. Simulation of the frontal attack by ethylene on l,4-dithioniabicyclo[2.2.0]hexane 115 gave no optimal structure of an intermediate complex. On the other hand in the lateral approach of the reactants, orbital factors favor attack of the double bond by one of the sulfonium sulfur atoms of the dication. This pattern corresponds to SN2-like substitution at sulfur atom as depicted in Figure 5. Using such a reactant orientation, the structure of intermediate jc-complex was successfully optimized. The distances between the reaction centers in the complex, that is, between the carbon atoms of the ethylene fragment and the nearest sulfur atom of the dication, are 2.74 and 2.96 A, respectively. 

Simulations of Poly(ethylene oxide)/LiI Melts. 2. Dynamic Properties. 

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