Potential energy surface transition state theory

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... 

The above discussion represents a necessarily brief simnnary of the aspects of chemical reaction dynamics. The theoretical focus of tliis field is concerned with the development of accurate potential energy surfaces and the calculation of scattering dynamics on these surfaces. Experimentally, much effort has been devoted to developing complementary asymptotic techniques for product characterization and frequency- and time-resolved teclmiques to study transition-state spectroscopy and dynamics. It is instructive to see what can be accomplished with all of these capabilities. Of all the benclunark reactions mentioned in section A3.7.2. the reaction F + H2 —> HE + H represents the best example of how theory and experiment can converge to yield a fairly complete picture of the dynamics of a chemical reaction. Thus, the remainder of this chapter focuses on this reaction as a case study in reaction dynamics. 

At the time the experiments were perfomied (1984), this discrepancy between theory and experiment was attributed to quantum mechanical resonances drat led to enhanced reaction probability in the FlF(u = 3) chaimel for high impact parameter collisions. Flowever, since 1984, several new potential energy surfaces using a combination of ab initio calculations and empirical corrections were developed in which the bend potential near the barrier was found to be very flat or even non-collinear [49, M], in contrast to the Muckennan V surface. In 1988, Sato [ ] showed that classical trajectory calculations on a surface with a bent transition-state geometry produced angular distributions in which the FIF(u = 3) product was peaked at 0 = 0°, while the FIF(u = 2) product was predominantly scattered into the backward hemisphere (0 > 90°), thereby qualitatively reproducing the most important features in figure A3.7.5. 

In the statistical description of ununolecular kinetics, known as Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) theory [4,7,8], it is assumed that complete IVR occurs on a timescale much shorter than that for the unimolecular reaction [9]. Furdiemiore, to identify states of the system as those for the reactant, a dividing surface [10], called a transition state, is placed at the potential energy barrier region of the potential energy surface. The assumption implicit m RRKM theory is described in the next section. 

Hammes-Schiffer S and Tully J C 1995 Nonadiabatic transition state theory and multiple potential energy surfaces molecular dynamics of infrequent events J. Chem. Phys. 103 8528... 

A few studies have found potential surfaces with a stable minimum at the transition point, with two very small barriers then going toward the reactants and products. This phenomenon is referred to as Lake Eyring Henry Eyring, one of the inventors of transition state theory, suggested that such a situation, analogous to a lake in a mountain cleft, could occur. In a study by Schlegel and coworkers, it was determined that this energy minimum can occur as an artifact of the MP2 wave function. This was found to be a mathematical quirk of the MP2 wave function, and to a lesser extent MP3, that does not correspond to reality. The same effect was not observed for MP4 or any other levels of theory. 

Variational transition state theory (VTST) is formulated around a variational theorem, which allows the optimization of a hypersurface (points on the potential energy surface) that is the elfective point of no return for reactions. This hypersurface is not necessarily through the saddle point. Assuming that molecules react without a reverse reaction once they have passed this surface... 

Rather than using transition state theory or trajectory calculations, it is possible to use a statistical description of reactions to compute the rate constant. There are a number of techniques that can be considered variants of the statistical adiabatic channel model (SACM). This is, in essence, the examination of many possible reaction paths, none of which would necessarily be seen in a trajectory calculation. By examining paths that are easier to determine than the trajectory path and giving them statistical weights, the whole potential energy surface is accounted for and the rate constant can be computed. 

The classical approach for discussing adsorption states was through Lennard-Jones potential energy diagrams and for their desorption through the application of transition state theory. The essential assumption of this is that the reactants follow a potential energy surface where the products are separated from the reactants by a transition state. The concentration of the activated complex associated with the transition state is assumed to be in equilibrium... 

Fig. 1. Potential energy surface and classical trajectory calculations on the H + H2 hydrogen exchange reaction. Note the orbiting trajectory in the vicinity of Lake Eyring . Despite the unrealistic nature of a well near the transition state of this reaction, many of the modern ideas of chemical reaction theory can be seen in action already in this work. (See Ref. 1.)...

From the point of view of associative desorption, this reaction is an early barrier reaction. That is, the transition state resembles the reactants.46 Early barrier reactions are well known to channel large amounts of the reaction exoergicity into product vibration. For example, the famous chemical-laser reaction, F + H2 — HF(u) + H, is such a reaction producing a highly inverted HF vibrational distribution.47-50 Luntz and co-workers carried out classical trajectory calculation on the Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surface of Fig. 3(c) and found indeed that the properties of this early barrier reaction do include an inverted N2 vibrational distribution that peaks near v = 6 and extends to v = 11 (see Fig. 3(a)). In marked contrast to these theoretical predictions, the experimentally observed N2 vibrational distribution shown in Fig. 3(d) is skewed towards low values of v. The authors of Ref. 44 also employed the electronic friction theory of Tully and Head-Gordon35 in an attempt to model electronically nonadiabatic influences to the reaction. The results of these calculations are shown in... 

We note at this point that the nonadiabatic-transition state method used here (6,19,77) is not expected to be able to give quantitative agreement with experimental rate constants. There are too many factors that are treated approximately (or not at all) in this theory for such performance to be possible. One of the key difficulties is that calculated rate constants are very sensitive to the accuracy of the potential energy surface at room temperature, an error of lkcalmol-1 on the relative energy of the MECP relative to reactants will equate, roughly speaking, to an error by a factor of five on the calculated rate constant. Even though we... 

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