Variational transition state theory VTST canonical

Of course, one is not really interested in classical mechanical calculations. Thus in normal practice the partition functions used in TST, as discussed in Chapter 4, are evaluated using quantum partition functions for harmonic frequencies (extension to anharmonicity is straightforward). On the other hand rotations and translations are handled classically both in TST and in VTST, which is a standard approximation except at very low temperatures. Later, by introducing canonical partition functions one can direct the discussion towards canonical variational transition state theory (CVTST) where the statistical mechanics involves ensembles defined in terms of temperature and volume. There is also a form of variational transition state theory based on microcanonical ensembles referred to by the symbol p,. Discussion of VTST based on microcanonical ensembles pVTST is beyond the scope of the discussion here. It is only mentioned that in pVTST the dividing surface is... 

Variational transition-state theory has been formulated on various levels [5, 23-27]. At first, there is the group of canonical VTST (CVTST) treatments, which correspond to the search for a maximum of the free energy AG(r) along the reaction path r [23, 24]. It was noticed early that for barri-erless potentials this approach leads to an overestimate of the rate constant because, in the language of SACM, channels are included that are closed. Therefore, an improved version (ICVTST) was proposed [25] that truncates Q at the position r of the minimum of (t(r) by including only states... 

Cf. R. A. Marcus, J. Chem. Phys. 45,2630 (1966). This paper contains this criterion (p. 2635), but mistakenly ascribes it to Bunker, who actually uses, instead, a minimized density of states criterion [D. L. Bunker and M. Pattengill, J. Chem. Phys. 48, 772 (1968)]. This minimum number of states criterion has been used by various authors, for example, W. L. Hase, J. Chem. Phys. 57, 730 (1972) 64, 2442 (1976) M. Quack and J. Troe (Ref. 21) B. C. Garrett and D. G. Truhlar, J. Chem. Phys. 70, 1593 (1979). The transition state theory utilizing it is now frequently termed microcanonical variational transition state theory (/iVTST). A recent review of /tVTST and of canonical VTST is given in D. G. Truhlar and B. C. Garrett, Ann. Rev. Phys. Chem. 35,159 (1984). 

A viable alternative for small systems is variational transition state theory or VTST (see Truhlar et al. 1985). Recall that TST makes use of the non-recrossing rule assumption. When recrossing does occur, the assumption results in the over-counting of transitions from reactants to products that is, the TST rate constant is an upper bound. In VTST, a divide is sought that minimizes these transitions resulting in a minimum rate constant and this divide becomes the basis for the VTST rate constant. We consider, as the simplest example, canonical variational ensemble transition state theory (CVT). 

CVT = canonical variational transition state theory /xVT = microcanonical variational transition state theory TST=transition state theory VTST = variational TST. 

Several VTST techniques exist. Canonical variational theory (CVT), improved canonical variational theory (ICVT), and microcanonical variational theory (pVT) are the most frequently used. The microcanonical theory tends to be the most accurate, and canonical theory the least accurate. All these techniques tend to lose accuracy at higher temperatures. At higher temperatures, excited states, which are more difficult to compute accurately, play an increasingly important role, as do trajectories far from the transition structure. For very small molecules, errors at room temperature are often less than 10%. At high temperatures, computed reaction rates could be in error by an order of magnitude. 

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