Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “radically”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,315 records · Page 73
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

One-electron redox kinetics of aqueous transition metal couples Zn 2+/+ , Co 2+/+ , and Ni 2+/+ using pulse radiolysis

The one-electron redox potentials for aqueous metal couples Co 2+/+ and Ni 2+/+ have been investigated by using pulse radiolysis using their reactions with a series of reference compounds to establish the most positive upper limits of E 0 . Experiments with Zn + were also carried out to confirm the characteristic shape of the expected reduction kinetics. Both formate ions and t-BuOH were employed to scavenge ˙OH radicals and ˙H atoms. Kinetics and fitted first and second order reaction rates have been reported for reactions with methyl viologen, fluorescein, Ru(NH 3 ) 6 3+ , Co(en) 3 2+ , Co(sepulcrate) 3+ , Ru(bpy) 3 2+ , Cr(bpy)33+, and Ni(Me 6 [14]4,11-dieneN4) 2+ . Previous work demonstrated that both Co 2+ and Ni 2+ can be reduced by CO 2 ˙- radicals, giving a negative E 0 limit of -1.9 V vs. SHE. A definite reaction of Ni + with fluorescein di-anions provides a new upper limit of the Ni 2+/+ couple as -0.906 V vs. SHE. The reaction of Co + with Ru(bpy) 3 2+ has been confirmed, giving E 0 = -1.3 V vs. SHE as a rigorous upper limit of the Co 2+/+ couple. In the case of Co 2+/+ , kinetics were complicated by a self-catalyzed metal clustering phenomenon. Initiation rate constants of this process have also been reported.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Solvent oligomerization pathways facilitated by electrolyte additives during solid-electrolyte interphase formation

The solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formation is known to play an important role in determining the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries. A thin, stable SEI layer is linked to overall improved battery performance and longevity, however, the factors and mechanisms that lead to optimal SEI morphology and composition are not well understood. Inclusion of electrolyte additives (fluoroethylene carbonate, FEC; and vinylene carbonate, VC) is often necessary for improving SEI characteristics. To understand how these electrolyte additives impact SEI formation, we employed molecular dynamics (MD) and density functional theory (DFT) simulations to study the reaction networks and oligomerization pathways, respectively, for three systems containing ethylene carbonate (EC), a lithium ion, and FEC or VC. MD simulations suggest radical oligomerization pathways analogous to traditional oligomerization with nucleophilic alkoxide species via SN1 reaction mechanisms. Both S N 1 and S N 2 mechanisms were studied for all three systems using DFT. Oligomerization reactions were studied with both a standard alkoxide species and a ring-opened EC radical as the nucleophiles and EC, FEC, and VC as the electrophiles. For all cases, FEC and VC exhibited lower free energy barriers and more stable adducts when compared with EC. We conclude that one of the role of additives is to modify the oligomerization process of EC by introducing branching points (FEC) or termination points (VC).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Surface chemical trapping of optical cycling centers

Quantum information processors based on trapped atoms utilize laser-induced optical cycling transitions for state preparation and measurement. These transitions consist of an electronic excitation from the ground to an excited state and a decay back to the initial ground state, associated with a photon emission. While this technique has been used primarily with atoms, it has also recently been shown to work for some divalent metal hydroxides ( e.g. SrOH) and alkoxides ( e.g. SrOCH 3 ). Additionally, this extension to molecules is possible because these molecules feature nearly isolated, atomic-like ground and first-excited electronic states centered on the radical metal atom. We theoretically investigate the extension of this idea to a larger scale by growing the alkyl group, R, beyond the initial methyl group, CH 3 , while preserving the isolated and highly vertical character of the electronic excitation on the radical metal atom, M. Theory suggests that in the limit as the size of the ligand carbon chain increases, it can be considered a functionalized diamond (or cubic boron nitride) surface. Several requirements must be observed for the cycling centers to function when bound to the surface. First, the surface must have a significant band gap that fully encapsulates both the ground and excited states of the cycling center. Second, while the surface lattice imposes strict limits on the achievable spacing between the SrO– groups, at high coverage, SrO– centers can interact, and show geometric changes and/or electronic state mixing. We show that the coverage of the diamond surface with SrO– cycling centers needs to be significantly sub-monolayer for the functionality of the cycling center to be preserved. Having the lattice-imposed spatial control of SrO– placements will allow nanometer-scale proximity between qubits and will eliminate the need for atom traps for localized cycling emitters. Our results also imply that a functionalization could be done on a scanning microscope tip for local quantum sensing or on photonic structures for optically-mediated quantum information processing.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Gas-phase synthesis of corannulene – a molecular building block of fullerenes

Fullerenes (C 60 , C 70 ) detected in planetary nebulae and carbonaceous chondrites have been implicated to play a key role in the astrochemical evolution of the interstellar medium. However, the formation mechanism of even their simplest molecular building block—the corannulene molecule (C 20 H 10 )—has remained elusive. Here we demonstrate via a combined molecular beams and ab initio investigation that corannulene can be synthesized in the gas phase through the reactions of 7-fluoranthenyl (C 16 H 9 ˙) and benzo[ghi]fluoranthen-5-yl (C 18 H 9 ˙) radicals with acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) mimicking conditions in carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes. This reaction sequence reveals a reaction class in which a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) radical undergoes ring expansion while simultaneously forming an out-of-plane carbon backbone central to 3D nanostructures such as buckybowls and buckyballs. In conclusion, these fundamental reaction mechanisms are critical in facilitating an intimate understanding of the origin and evolution of the molecular universe and, in particular, of carbon in our galaxy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Mechanism and kinetics of the oxidation of 1,3-butadien-1-yl (n-C 4 H 5 ): a theoretical study

Here, ab initio CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pVTZ-f12//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) calculations of the C 4 H 5 O 2 potential energy surface have been combined with Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus Master Equation (RRKM-ME) calculations of temperature- and pressure-dependent rate constants and product branching ratios to unravel the mechanism and kinetics of the n-C 4 H 5 + O 2 reaction. The results indicate that the reaction is fast, with the total rate constant being in the range of 3.4–5.6 × 10 –11 cm 3 molecule –1 s –1 . The main products include 1-oxo-n-butadienyl + O and acrolein + HCO, with their cumulative yield exceeding 90% at temperatures above 1500 K. Two conformers of 1-oxo-n-butadienyl + O are formed via a simple mechanism of O 2 addition to the radical site of n-C 4 H 5 followed by the cleavage of the O–O bond proceeding via a van der Waals C 4 H 5 O∙∙∙O complex. Alternatively, the pathways leading to acrolein + HCO involve significant reorganization of the heavy-atom skeleton either via formal migration of one O atom to the opposite end of the molecule or its insertion into the C1–C2 bond. Not counting thermal stabilization of the initial peroxy adducts, which prevails at low temperatures and high pressures, all other products share a minor yield of under 5%. Rate constants for the significant reaction channels have been fitted to modified Arrhenius expressions and are proposed for kinetic modeling of the oxidation of aromatic molecules and 1,3-butadiene. As a secondary reaction, n-C 4 H 5 + O 2 can be a source for the formation of acrolein observed experimentally in oxidation of the phenyl radical at low combustion temperatures, whereas another significant (secondary) product of the C 6 H 5 + O 2 reaction, furan, could be formed through unimolecular decomposition of 1-oxo-n-butadienyl. Both the n-C 4 H 5 + O 2 reaction and unimolecular decomposition of its 1-oxo-n-butadienyl primary product are shown not to be a substantial source of ketene.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Resonant two-photon photoelectron imaging and adiabatic detachment processes from bound vibrational levels of dipole-bound states

Anions cannot have Rydberg states, but anions with polar neutral cores can support highly diffuse dipole-bound states (DBSs) as a class of interesting electronically excited states below the electron detachment threshold. The binding energies of DBSs are extremely small, ranging from a few to few hundred wavenumbers and generally cannot support bound vibrational levels below the detachment threshold. Thus, vibrational excitations in the DBS are usually above the electron detachment threshold and they have been used to conduct resonant photoelectron spectroscopy, which is dominated by state-specific autodetachment. Here we report an investigation of a cryogenically-cooled complex anion, the enantiopure (R)-(–)-1-(9-anthryl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethanolate (R-TFAE–). The neutral R-TFAE radical is relatively complex and highly polar with a non-planar structure (C 1 symmetry). Photodetachment spectroscopy reveals a DBS 209 cm–1 below the detachment threshold of R-TFAE– and seven bound and eight above-threshold vibrational levels of the DBS. Resonant two-photon detachment (R2PD) via the bound vibrational levels of the DBS exhibits strictly adiabatic photodetachment behaviors by the second photon, in which the vibrational energies in the DBS are carried to the neutral final states, because of the parallel potential energy surfaces of the DBS and the corresponding neutral ground electronic state. Relaxation processes from the bound DBS levels to the ground and low-lying electronically excited states of R-TFAE– are also observed in the R2PD photoelectron spectra. Finally, the combination of photodetachment and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy yields frequencies for eight vibrational modes of the R-TFAE radical.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Internal conversion and intersystem crossing dynamics based on coupled potential energy surfaces with full geometry-dependent spin–orbit and derivative couplings. Nonadiabatic photodissociation dynamics of NH 3 (A) leading to the NH(X 3 Σ – , a 1 Δ) + H 2 channel

Here we simulate the photodissociation of NH 3 originating from its first excited singlet state S 1 into the NH 2 + H (radical) and NH + H 2 (molecular) channels. The states considered are the ground singlet state S 0 , the first excited singlet state S 1 and the lowest-lying triplet state T 1 , which permit for the first time a uniform treatment of the internal conversion and intersystem crossing. The simulations are based on a diabatic potential energy matrix (DPEM) of S 0 , S 1 coupled by a conical intersection seam, as well as a potential energy surface (PES) for T 1 coupled by spin-orbit coupling (SOC) to the two singlet states. The DPEM and PES are fitted to ab initio electronic structure data (ESD) including energies, energy gradients, and derivative couplings. The DPEM also defines an adiabatic to diabatic state (AtD) transformation, which is used to transform the singular adiabatic SOC into a smooth function of the nuclear coordinates in the diabatic representation, allowing the diabatic SOC to be fit to an analytical functional form. ESD and SOC data obtained from these surfaces can serve as input for either quantum or semi-classical characterization of the nonadiabatic dynamics. Using the SHARC suite of programs, nonadiabatic simulations based on over 40 000 semi-classical trajectories assess the convergence of our results. The production of NH + H 2 is not direct, but is only achieved through a quasi-statistical dissociation mechanism after internal conversion to the ground electronic state. This leads to a much lower yield comparing with the main NH 2 + H channel. The NH(X 3 Σ_) radical produced through the intersystem crossing from S 0 to T 1 is rare (~0.2%) compared to NH(a 1 Δ) due to the process being spin forbidden.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbon hydroxylation via a formally Ni IV =O oxidant

The reaction of (NMe 4 ) 2 [Ni II (L Ph )(OAc)] (1[OAc], L Ph = 2,2',2''-nitrilo-tris-(N-phenylacetamide); OAc = acetate) with 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (m-CPBA) resulted in the formation of a self-hydroxylated Ni III -phenolate complex, 2, where one of the phenyl groups of L Ph underwent hydroxylation. 2 was characterised by UV-Vis, EPR, and XAS spectroscopies and ESI-MS. 2 decayed to yield a previously characterised Ni II -phenolate complex, 3. We postulate that self-hydroxylation was mediated by a formally Ni IV =O oxidant, formed from the reaction of 1[OAc] with m-CPBA, which undergoes electrophilic aromatic substitution to yield 2. This is supported by an analysis of the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the reaction of 1[OAc] with m-CPBA. Addition of exogenous hydrocarbon substrates intercepted the self-hydroxylation process, producing hydroxylated products, providing further support for the formally Ni IV =O entity. This study demonstrates that the reaction between Ni II salts and m-CPBA can lead to potent metal-based oxidants, in contrast to recent studies demonstrating carboxyl radical is a radical free-chain reaction initiator in Ni II /m-CPBA hydrocarbon oxidation catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Master equation study of hydrogen abstraction from HCHO by OH via a chemically activated intermediate

The abstraction reaction of hydrogen from formaldehyde by OH radical plays an important role in formaldehyde oxidation. The reaction involves a bimolecular association to form a chemically activated hydrogen-bonded reaction complex followed by a unimolecular reaction of the complex to generate the products. The reaction rate is usually considered to be pressure-independent by assuming equilibrium between the reactants and the complex. However, our nonequilibrium calculations based on the chemically significant eigenmode of the master equation, carried out with our recently developed TUMME program, indicate that the reaction complex makes the rate constant dependent on pressure at low temperatures (T < 200 K). The calculations include anharmonicity, variational effects, and multi-dimensional tunneling. We find that the reaction rate constant reaches a low-pressure limit at pressures below 10 Torr over the whole investigated temperature range (20–1800 K), which explains why the available low-temperature experiments, which are for pressures below 2 Torr, did not observe the pressure dependence. A new extension of the TUMME master-equation program is used to explore the time evolutions of the concentrations of the OH radical and the complex under pseudo-first-order conditions. The time-dependent evolution of the concentrations of the complex at a low temperature provide direct evidence for the stabilization of the reaction complex at high pressures, and it shows the negligible role of the stabilized reaction complex at low pressures. Finally, the picture that emerges is qualitatively consistent with our previous study of the reaction of methanol with OH in that the tunneling in the unimolecular step from the complex to the products affects the phenomenological reaction rate constants differently at high and low pressures and leads to a significant pressure effect.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Time-resolved quantification of key species and mechanistic insights in low-temperature tetrahydrofuran oxidation

Here, we investigate the kinetics and report the time-resolved concentrations of key chemical species in the oxidation of tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 7500 torr and 450–675 K. Experiments are carried out using high-pressure multiplexed photoionization mass spectrometry (MPIMS) combined with tunable vacuum ultraviolet radiation from the Berkely Lab Advanced Light Source. Intermediates and products are quantified using reference photoionization (PI) cross sections, when available, and constrained by a global carbon balance tracking approach at all experimental temperatures simultaneously for the species without reference cross sections. From carbon balancing, we determine time-resolved concentrations for the ROO˙ and ˙OOQOOH radical intermediates, butanedial, and the combined concentration of ketohydroperoxide (KHP) and unsaturated hydroperoxide (UHP) products stemming from the ˙QOOH + O 2 reaction. Furthermore, we quantify a product that we tentatively assign as fumaraldehyde, which arises from UHP decomposition via H 2 O or ˙OH + H loss. The experimentally derived species concentrations are compared with model predictions using the most recent literature THF oxidation mechanism of Fenard et al., (Combust. Flame, 2018, 191, 252–269). Our results indicate that the literature mechanism significantly overestimates THF consumption and the UHP + KHP concentration at our conditions. The model predictions are sensitive to the rate coefficient for the ROO˙ isomerization to ˙QOOH, which is the gateway for radical chain propagating and branching pathways. Comparisons with our recent results for cyclopentane (Demireva et al., Combust. Flame, 2023, 257, 112506) provide insights into the effect of the ether group on reactivity and highlight the need to determine accurate rate coefficients of ROO˙ isomerization and subsequent reactions.

Demireva, Maria↗
DOE OSTI2023

Anti-Arrhenius behavior of electron transfer reactions in molecular dimers

Rates of chemical reactions typically accelerate as the temperature rises, following the Arrhenius law. However, electron transfer reactions may exhibit weak temperature dependence or counterintuitive behavior, known as anti-Arrhenius behavior, wherein reaction rates decrease as temperature increases. Solvent reorganization energy and torsion-induced changes in electronic couplings could contribute to this unusual behavior, but how each contributes to the overall temperature dependence is unclear. One can decelerate the charge recombination process in photogenerated radical pairs or charge-separated states by harnessing this often-overlooked phenomenon. This means that we could achieve long-lived radical pairs without relying on conventional cooling. Using a series of homo molecular dimers, we showed that the degree of torsional hindrance dictates temperature-dependent torsion-induced changes in electronic coupling and, therefore, charge recombination rates. The overall temperature dependence is controlled by how changes in electronic coupling and the temperature-dependent solvent reorganization energy contribute to the rates of charge recombination. Our findings pave the way for rationally designing molecules that exhibit anti-Arrhenius behavior to slow down charge recombination, opening possibilities for applications in energy-related and quantum information technologies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Phenalenyl growth reactions and implications for prenucleation chemistry of aromatics in flames

The energetics and kinetics of phenalene and phenalenyl growth reactions were studied theoretically. Rate constants of phenalene and phenalenyl H-abstraction and C 2 H 2 addition to the formed radicals were evaluated through quantum-chemical and rate-theory calculations. The obtained values, assigned to all π radicals, were tested in deterministic and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of aromatics growth under conditions of laminar premixed flames. Kekulé and non-Kekulé structures of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) evolving in the stochastic simulations were identified by on-the-fly constrained optimization. The numerical results demonstrated an increased PAH growth and qualitatively reproduced experimental observations of Homann and co-workers of non-decaying PAH concentrations with nearly equal abundances of even and odd carbon-atom PAHs. The analysis revealed that the PAH growth proceeds via alternating and sterically diverse acetylene and methyl HACA additions. Furthermore, the rapid and diverse spreading in the PAH population supports a nucleation model as PAH dimerization, assisted by the non-equilibrium phenomena, forming planar aromatics first and then transitioning to the PAH–PAH stacking with size.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Unconventional gas-phase synthesis of biphenyl and its atropisomeric methyl-substituted derivatives

The biphenyl molecule (C 12 H 10 ) acts as a fundamental molecular backbone in the stereoselective synthesis of organic materials due to its inherent twist angle causing atropisomerism in substituted derivatives and in molecular mass growth processes in circumstellar environments and combustion systems. Here, we reveal an unconventional low-temperature phenylethynyl addition–cyclization–aromatization mechanism for the gas-phase preparation of biphenyl (C 12 H 10 ) along with ortho-, meta-, and para-substituted methylbiphenyl (C 13 H 12 ) derivatives through crossed molecular beams and computational studies providing compelling evidence on their formation via bimolecular gas-phase reactions of phenylethynyl radicals (C 6 H 5 CC, X 2 A 1 ) with 1,3-butadiene-d 6 (C 4 D 6 ), isoprene (CH 2 C(CH 3 )CHCH 2 ), and 1,3-pentadiene (CH 2 CHCHCHCH 3 ). The dynamics involve de-facto barrierless phenylethynyl radical additions via submerged barriers followed by facile cyclization and hydrogen shift prior to hydrogen atom emission and aromatization to racemic mixtures (ortho, meta) of biphenyls in overall exoergic reactions. Furthermore, these findings not only challenge our current perception of biphenyls as high temperature markers in combustion systems and astrophysical environments, but also identify biphenyls as fundamental building blocks of complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as coronene (C 24 H 12 ) eventually leading to carbonaceous nanoparticles (soot, grains) in combustion systems and in deep space thus affording critical insight into the low-temperature hydrocarbon chemistry in our universe.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Light-induced electron spin qubit coherences in the purple bacteria reaction center protein

Photosynthetic reaction center proteins (RCs) provide ideal model systems for studying quantum entanglement between multiple spins, a quantum mechanical phenomenon wherein the properties of the entangled particles become inherently correlated. Following light-generated sequential electron transfer, RCs generate spin-correlated radical pairs (SCRPs), also referred to as entangled spin qubit (radical) pairs (SQPs). Understanding and controlling coherence mechanisms in SCRP/SQPs is important for realizing practical uses of electron spin qubits in quantum sensing applications. The bacterial RC (bRC) provides an experimental system for exploring quantum effects in the SCRP P 865 + Q A − , where P 865 , a special pair of bacteriochlorophylls, is the primary donor, and Q A is the primary quinone acceptor. In this study, we focus on understanding how local molecular environments and isotopic substitution, particularly deuteration, influence spin coherence times (T M ). Using high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, we observed that the local environment surrounding P 865 and Q A plays a significant role in determining T M . Our findings show that while deuteration led to a modest increase in T M , particularly at low temperatures, but the effect was substantially smaller than predicted by classical nuclear spin diffusion alone. This result is in contrast to our previous study of the photosystem I (PSI) RC, where no increase in T M was observed upon deuteration. Theoretical modeling identified several methyl groups at key distances from the spin centers of both bRC and PSI, and methyl group tunneling at low temperatures has been previously suggested as a mechanism for enhanced spin decoherence. Additionally, our study revealed a strong dependence of spin coherence on the orientation of the external magnetic field, highlighting the influence of the protein microenvironment on spin dynamics. In conclusion, these results offer new insights for optimizing coherence times in quantum system design for quantum information science and sensing applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Reaction dynamics of S( 3 P) with 1,3-butadiene and isoprene: crossed-beam scattering, low-temperature flow experiments, and high-level electronic structure calculations

Sulfur atoms serve as key players in diverse chemical processes, from astrochemistry at very low temperature to combustion at high temperature. Building upon our prior findings, showing cyclization to thiophenes following the reaction of ground-state sulfur atoms with dienes, we here extend this investigation to include many additional reaction products, guided by detailed theoretical predictions. The outcomes highlight the complex formation of products during intersystem crossing (ISC) to the singlet surfaces. Here, we employed crossed-beam velocity map imaging and high-level ab initio methods to explore the reaction of S( 3 P) with 1,3-butadiene and isoprene under single-collision conditions and in low-temperature flows. For the butadiene reaction, our experimental results show the formation of thiophene via H 2 loss, a 2H-thiophenyl radical through H loss, and thioketene through ethene loss at a slightly higher collision energy compared to previous observations. Complementary Chirped-Pulse Fourier-Transform mmWave spectroscopy (CP-FTmmW) measurements in a uniform flow confirmed the formation of thioketene in the reaction at 20 K. For the isoprene reaction, we observed analogous products along with the 2H-thiophenyl radical arising from methyl loss and C 3 H 4 S (loss of ethene or H 2 + acetylene). CP-FTmmW detected the formation of thioformaldehyde via loss of 1,3-butadiene, again in the 20 K flow. Coupled-cluster calculations on the pathways found by the automated kinetic workflow code KinBot support these findings and indicate ISC to the singlet surface, leading to the generation of various long-lived intermediates, including 5-membered heterocycles.

Lang, Jinxin↗
DOE OSTI2025

Experimental studies of high-temperature thermal dissociation of iso-propanol

iso-Propanol is an important biofuel for transportation and industrial applications, as well as a canonical compound for understanding alcohol reaction chemistry. There are few studies of the thermal decomposition of iso-propanol, hence the objective of this work was to investigate the mechanism of iso-propanol pyrolysis at high-temperature conditions. Shock tube studies were used to investigate the thermal decomposition of iso-propanol and identify the dominant reaction pathways and the intermediate species present in the temperature range of 1395–2053 K and at pressures of 0.3–4 bar. Time-resolved mass spectra were obtained from pyrolysis experiments in shock tube/mass spectrometer apparatuses using electron impact ionization or synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization. The relative concentrations of the intermediate species were used to identify the dominant reaction channels. iso-Propanol dissociated by water loss to propene and by elimination of a methyl radical yielding a 1-hydroxyethyl radical at the conditions studied. The time-dependent mass spectra allowed secondary products to be identified along with the orders of appearance. Notably, peaks at m/z = 50 and 52 were observed providing insight into secondary reactions. These features have not been previously reported in propanol-pyrolysis literature.

Kim, John H. [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (Un↗
DOE OSTI2025

Direct measurements for the kinetics of C–C bond fission in the high temperature decomposition of isopropanol

The thermal decomposition of isopropanol was studied experimentally and theoretically with a view to isolate and directly measure rate coefficients for the dominant radical channel in this multi-channel process. Two complementary shock tube methods, laser schlieren densitomtery and H-atom atomic resonance absorption spectroscopy, were used to obtain rate coefficents for the C–C bond fission channel. The experimental ranges span temperatures from 1200–2100 K and pressures between 30–690 torr. These are the most direct measurements of this rate coefficent in the fall-off regime of relevance to high-temperature reacting systems. Theoretical studies also performed in this work confirm that the title reaction and a molecular elimination involving dehydration were the sole unimolecular processes at high temperatures. A master equation analysis yielded k ( T, P ) for the C–C fission and these are shown to be in good agreement with the present experimental measurements. Comparisons with prior experimental and theoretical studies in the literature indicate branching ratios as well as absolute k ( T, P ) for C–C bond-fission have been under-predicted for this decomposition reaction. Consequently, results from the present studies place an increased emphasis on radical-driven secondary processes in high-temperature pyrolysis of this simplest secondary alcohol.

Kim, John H. [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (Un↗
DOE OSTI2025

Time-resolved momentum imaging of UV photodynamics in structural isomers of iodopropane probed by site-selective XUV ionization

The photodynamics of 1- and 2-iodopropane (1 and 2-IP) were studied in a time-resolved scheme incorporating ultraviolet (UV) excitation and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) probing, which initiates photoionization selectively from the I 4d core orbital. UV absorption in the A-band of both isomers leads to prompt C–I bond fission, with significant disposal of internal energy into the propyl radical product. Site-selective ionization enables a range of charge transfer (CT) processes between the nascent highly charged iodine ions and neutral propyl radicals, dependent on the interfragment distance at the instant of ionization. Subtle differences in the dynamics of these CT processes between the two isomers are observed. In 1-IP, the kinetic energies of iodine ions produced by UV photodissociation and subsequent XUV multiple ionization increased notably over the first few hundred femtoseconds, which could be understood in terms of differing gradients along the photodissociation coordinates of the neutral and polycationic states involved in the pump and probe steps, respectively. Led by a recent report of HI elimination in UV photoexcited 2-IP [Todt et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 22(46), 27338 (2020)], we also model the most likely signatures of this process in the present experiment, and can identify signal in the 2-IP data (that is absent or significantly weaker in the data from the unbranched 1-IP isomer) that is consistent with such a process occurring on ultrafast timescales.

Allum, Felix [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DE↗