Transition State Theory of Isotope Effects

Harmonic Oscillator Rigid Rotor Equilibrium Constant for H2 + 2 Dl = D2 + 2 HI 

Isotope effects on rates (so-called kinetic isotope effects, KIE s) of specific reactions will be discussed in detail in a later chapter. The most frequently employed formalism used to discuss KIE s is based on the activated complex (transition state) theory of chemical kinetics and is analogous to the theory of isotope effects on thermodynamic equilibria discussed in this chapter. It is thus appropriate to discuss this theory here. 

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Isotope Effects on Equilibrium Constants of Chemical Reactions Transition State Theory of Isotope Effects... 

Appendix 2 THE TRANSITION STATE THEORY OF ISOTOPE EFFECTS... 

Alhambra and co-workers adopted a QM/MM strategy to better understand quantum mechanical effects, and particularly the influence of tunneling, on the observed primary kinetic isotope effect of 3.3 in this system (that is, the reaction proceeds 3.3 times more slowly when the hydrogen isotope at C-2 is deuterium instead of protium). In order to carry out their analysis they combined fully classical MD trajectories with QM/MM modeling and analysis using variational transition-state theory. Kinetic isotope effects (KIEs), tunneling, and variational transition state theory are discussed in detail in Chapter 15 - we will not explore these topics in any particular depth in this case study, but will focus primarily on the QM/MM protocol. 

Within the framework of transition-state theory, kinetic isotope effects may be expressed as differences and ratios of isotopic zero-... 

Abstract The statistical thermodynamic theory of isotope effects on chemical equilibrium constants is developed in detail. The extension of the method to treat kinetic isotope effects using the transition state model is briefly described. 

Various quantum-mechanical theories have been proposed which allow one to calculate isotopic Arrhenius curves from first principles, where tunneling is included. These theories generally start with an ab initio calculation of the reaction surface and use either quantum or statistical rate theories in order to calculate rate constants and kinetic isotope effects. Among these are the variational transition state theory of Truhlar [15], the instanton approach of Smedarchina et al. 

The transition state theory of reaction rates forms the basis of the quantitative theory of isotope effects (Bigeleisen, 1949 Bi-geleisen and Wolfsberg, 1959). It considers reaction rates in terms of the assumption that reactants are in equilibrium with the transition state. For two isotopic species Ai and A2 reacting with a nonisotopic species B, the reactions will be given by Eqs. (5) and (6) (Saunders, 1961) ... 

We now carry the argument over to transition state theory. Suppose that in the transition state the bond has been completely broken then the foregoing argument applies. No real transition state will exist with the bond completely broken—this does not occur until the product state—so we are considering a limiting case. With this realization of the very approximate nature of the argument, we make estimates of the maximum kinetic isotope effect. We write the Arrhenius equation for the R-H and R-D reactions... 

Transition state theory has been useful in providing a rationale for the so-called kinetic isotope effect. The kinetic isotope effect is used by enzy-mologists to probe various aspects of mechanism. Importantly, measured kinetic isotope effects have also been used to monitor if non-classical behaviour is a feature of enzyme-catalysed hydrogen transfer reactions. The kinetic isotope effect arises because of the differential reactivity of, for example, a C-H (protium), a C-D (deuterium) and a C-T (tritium) bond. 

Tetrahedral intermediates, derived from carboxylic acids, spectroscopic detection and the investigation of their properties, 21, 37 Topochemical phenomena in solid-state chemistry, 15, 63 Transition state structure, crystallographic approaches to, 29, 87 Transition state structure, in solution, effective charge and, 27, 1 Transition state structure, secondary deuterium isotope effects and, 31, 143 Transition states, structure in solution, cross-interaction constants and, 27, 57 Transition states, the stabilization of by cyclodextrins and other catalysts, 29, 1 Transition states, theory revisited, 28, 139... 

Transition stale structure, secondary deuterium isotope effects and, 31, 143 Transition states, structure in solution, cross-interaction constants and, 27, 57 Transition states, the stabilization of by cyclodextrins and other catalysts, 29, 1 Transition states, theory revisited, 28, 139... 

Garret, B. C. and Truhlar, D. G. Generalized transition state theory. Quantum effects for collinear reactions of hydrogen molecules and isotopically substituted hydrogen molecules, JPhys.Chem., 83 (1979), 1079-1112... 

Table 3 collects the results obtained by different authors on the reaction of 0s04(NH3) with ethylene. Though the methods were not identical, the results are very similar, and in all cases there is a clear preference of the [3+2] over the [2+2] pathway. Additional confirmation was provided by a combined experimental and theoretical study using kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) to compare experiment and theory. Kinetic isotope effects were measured by a new NMR technique [25] and compared to values, which are available from calculated transition states. It showed that indeed only the [3+2] pathway is feasible [10]. 

Since the discovery of the deuterium isotope in 1931 [44], chemists have long recognized that kinetic deuterium isotope effects could be employed as an indicator for reaction mechanism. However, the development of a mechanism is predicated upon analysis of the kinetic isotope effect within the context of a theoretical model. Thus, it was in 1946 that Bigeleisen advanced a theory for the relative reaction velocities of isotopic molecules that was based on the theory of absolute rate —that is, transition state theory as formulated by Eyring as well as Evans and Polanyi in 1935 [44,45]. The rate expression for reaction is given by... 

There have been numerous kinetic studies of the deuterium isotope effect for proton and hydrogen atom transfer where values for EH — Ev greatly exceed 1.4kcal/mol and the ratio of A factors, AD/AH, are significantly >1.4 values >10 are very common [4]. These observations directly challenge the classical model for proton transfer based upon transition state theory that neglects contributions from k. 

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