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NASA NTRS2006

Ab initio Quantum Chemical Studies of Reactions in Astrophysical Ices. Reactions Involving CH3OH, CO2, CO, HNCO in H2CO/NH3/H2O Ices

While reactions between closed shell molecules generally involve prohibitive barriers in the gas phase, prior experimental and theoretical studies have demonstrated that some of these reactions are significantly enhanced when confined within an icy grain mantle and can occur efficiently at temperatures below 100 K with no additional energy processing. The archetypal case is the reaction of formaldehyde (H2CO) and ammonia (NH3) to yield hydroxymethylamine (NH2CH2OH). In the present work we have characterized reactions involving methanol (CH3OH), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and isocyanic acid (HNCO) in search of other favorable cases. Most of the emphasis is on CH3OH, which was investigated in the two-body reaction with one H2CO and the three-body reaction with two H2CO molecules. The addition of a second H2CO to the product of the reaction between CH3OH and H2CO was also considered as an alternative route to longer polyoxymethylene polymers of the -CH2O- form. The reaction between HNCO and NH3 was studied to determine if it can compete against the barrierless charge transfer process that yields OCN(-) and NH4(+). Finally, the H2CO + NH3 reaction was revisited with additional benchmark calculations that confirm that little or no barrier is present when it occurs in ice.

Woon, David E.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Theoretical Study of Indium Compounds of Interest for Organometallic Chemical Vapor Deposition

The structural. electronic and therinochemical properties of indium compounds which are of interest in halide transport and organometallic chemical vapor deposition processes have been studied by ab initio and statistical mechanics methods. The compounds reported include: indium halides and hydrides (InF, InCl, InCl3, InH, InH2, InH3); indium clusters (In2, In3); methylindium, dimethylindium, and their hydrogen derivatives [In(CH3), In(CH3)H, In(CH3)H2, In(CH3)2, In(CH3)2H]; dimethyl-indium dimer [In2(CH3)4], trimethyl-indium [In(CH3)3]; dehydrogenated methyl, dimethyl and trimethylindium [In(CH3)2CH2, In(CH3)CH2, In(CH2)], trimethylindium adducts with ammonia, trimethylamine and hydrazine [(CH3)3In:NH3, (CH3)3In:N(CH3)3, (CH3)3In:N(H2)N(H2)]; dimethylamino-indium and methylimino-indium [In(CH3)2(NH2), In(CH3)(NH)]; indium nitride and indium nitride dimer (InN, In2N2), indium phosphide, arsenide and antimonide ([InP, InAs, InSb). The predicted electronic properties are based on density functional theory calculations; the calculated thermodynamic properties are reported following the format of the JANAF (Joint Army, Navy, NASA, Air Force) Tables. Equilibrium compositions at two temperatures (298 and 1000 K) have been analyzed for groups of competing simultaneous reactions.

Cardelino, B. H.↗

NASA NTRS1990

An Ab Initio Study of the Low-Lying Doublet States of AgO and AgS

Spectroscopic constants (D(sub o), r(sub e), mu(sub e), T(sub e)) are determined for the doublet states of AgO and AgS below approx. = 30000/cm. Large valence basis sets are employed in conjunction with relativistic effective core potentials (RECPs). Electron correlation is included using the modified coupled-pair functional (MCPF) and multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) methods. The A(sup 2)Sigma(sup +) - X(sup 2)Pi band system is found to occur in the near infrared (approx. = 9000/cm) and to be relatively weak with a radiative lifetime of 900 microns for A(sup 2)Sigma(sup +) (upsilon = 0). The weakly bound C(sup 2)Pi state (our notation), the upper state of the blue system, is found to require high levels of theoretical treatment to determine a quantitatively accurate potential. The red system is assigned as a transition from the C(sup 2)Pi state to the previously unobserved A(sup 2)Sigma(sup +) state. Several additional transitions are identified that should be detectable experimentally. A more limited study is performed for the vertical excitation spectrum of AgS. In addition, a detailed all-electron study of the X(sup 2)Pi and A(sup 2)Sigma(sup +) states of AgO is carried out using large atomic natural orbital (ANO) basis sets. Our best calculated D(sub o) value for AgO is significantly less than the experimental value, which suggests that there may be some systematic error in the experimental determination.

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Gas-Phase Reaction Pathways and Rate Coefficients for the Dichlorosilane-Hydrogen and Trichlorosilane-Hydrogen Systems

As part of NASA Ames Research Center's Integrated Process Team on Device/Process Modeling and Nanotechnology our goal is to create/contribute to a gas-phase chemical database for use in modeling microelectronics devices. In particular, we use ab initio methods to determine chemical reaction pathways and to evaluate reaction rate coefficients. Our initial studies concern reactions involved in the dichlorosilane-hydrogen (SiCl2H2--H2) and trichlorosilane-hydrogen (SiCl2H-H2) systems. Reactant, saddle point (transition state), and product geometries and their vibrational harmonic frequencies are determined using the complete-active-space self-consistent-field (CASSCF) electronic structure method with the correlation consistent polarized valence double-zeta basis set (cc-pVDZ). Reaction pathways are constructed by following the imaginary frequency mode of the saddle point to both the reactant and product. Accurate energetics are determined using the singles and doubles coupled-cluster method that includes a perturbational estimate of the effects of connected triple excitations (CCSD(T)) extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. Using the data from the electronic structure calculations, reaction rate coefficients are obtained using conventional and variational transition state and RRKM theories.

Dateo, Christopher E.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The lower electronic states of ClOO - A computational investigation

Eight doublet and eight quartet states of ClOO were investigated by ab initio CI techniques. The potential energy surfaces of the four lowest energy doublet states of both A-double-prime and A-prime symmetry indicate that only the 1 2A-double-prime state is bound. In contrast to the model provided by the HO2 radical, all of the excited doublet states investigated were repulsive with respect to dissociation to Cl + O2 and metastable or bound with respect to dissociation to ClO + O. The transitions to the excited states investigated span the visible and near UV spectral regions, but the transition moments indicate that they are very weak. Since the photolysis products are the same as those of the rapid thermal dissociation, photolysis is not expected to be an important atmospheric process. The soft bending potential for the 1 2A-prime state and the shape of the 1 4A-double-prime state in the entrance channel of the ClO + O yields Cl + O2 reaction provide a qualitative explanation for the underprediction of the low temperature reaction rate by previous trajectory calculations.

Jafri, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Potential surfaces for O atom-polymer reactions

Ab initio quantum chemistry methods are used to study the energetics of interactions of O atoms with organic compounds. Polyethylene (CH2)n has been chosen as the model system to study the interactions of O(3P) and O(1D) atoms with polymers. In particular, H abstraction is investigated and polyethylene is represented by a C3 (propane) oligomeric model. The gradient method, as implemented in the GRADSCF package of programs, is used to determine the geometries and energies of products and reactants. The saddle point, barrier geometry is determined by minimizing the squares of the gradients of the potential with respect to the internal coordinates. To correctly describe the change in bonding during the reaction at least a two configuration MCSCF (multiconfiguration self consistent field) or GVB (generalized valence bond) wave function has to be used. Basis sets include standard Pople and Dunning sets, however, increased with polarization functions and diffuse p functions on both the C and O atoms. The latter is important due to the O(-) character of the wave function at the saddle point and products. Normal modes and vibrational energy levels are given for the reactants, saddle points and products. Finally, quantitative energetics are obtained by implementing a small CAS (complete active space) approach followed by limited configuration interaction (CI) calculations. Comparisons are made with available experimental data.

Laskowski, B. C.↗

NASA NTRS2022

Ames-2021 CO 2 Dipole Moment Surface and IR Line Lists: Toward 0.1% Uncertainty for CO 2 IR Intensities

A highly accurate CO 2 ab initio dipole moment surface (DMS), Ames-2021, is reported along with 12 C 16 O 2 infrared (IR) intensity comparisons approaching a 1–4‰ level of agreement and uncertainty. The Ames-2021 DMS was accurately fitted from CCSD(T) finite-field dipoles computed with the aug-cc-pVXZ (X = T, Q, 5) basis for C atom and the d-aug-cc-pVXZ (X = T, Q, 5) basis for O atoms, and extrapolated to the one particle basis set limit. Fitting σ(rms) is 3.8 × 10^(–7) au for 4443 geometries below 15 000 per cm . The corresponding IR intensity, S Ames-2021 , are computed using the Ames-2 potential energy surface (PES), which is the best PES available for CO 2 . Compared to high accuracy IR studies for 2001i–00001 and 3001i–00001 bands, S Ames-2021 matches NIST experiment-based intensities [S NIST-HIT16 or S HIT20 ] to −1.0 ± 1.3‰, or matches DLR experiment-based intensities [S DLR-HIT16/UCL/Ames ] to 1.9 ± 3.7‰. This indicates the systematic deviations and uncertainties have been significantly reduced in S Ames-2021 . The S UCL2015 (or S HITRAN2016 ) have larger deviations (vs S DLR ) and uncertainties (vs S DLR , S NIST ) which are attributed to the less accurate Ames-1 PES adopted in UCL-296 line list calculation. The S Ames-2021 intensity of 12 C 16 O 2 and 13 C 16 O 2 is utilized to derive new absolute 13 C/ 12 C ratios for Vienna PeeDee Belemnite (VPDB) with uncertainty reduced by 1/3 or 2/3. Further evaluation of S Ames-2021 are carried out on those CO 2 bands discussed in the HITRAN2020 update paper. Consistent improvements and better accuracies are found in band-by-band analysis, except for those bands strongly affected by Coriolis couplings, or very weak bands measured with relatively larger experimental uncertainties. The Ames-2021 296 K IR line lists are generated for 13 CO 2 isotopologues, with 18,000 per and S 296K > 1E–31) cm/molecule cutoff and then combined with CDSD line positions (except 14 C 16 O 2 ). The Ames-2021 DMS and 296 K IR line lists represent a major improvement over previous CO 2 theoretical IR intensity studies, including Ames-2016, UCL-296, and recent UCL DMS 2021 update. A real 1 permille level of agreement and uncertainty will definitely require both more accurate PES and more accurate DMS.

Chemical calculations↗

NASA NTRS2024

Accurate Infrared Line Lists for 20 Isotopologues of CS 2 at Room Temperature

To facilitate atmospheric and spectroscopic studies of carbon disulfide, or CS 2 , in both planetary and exoplanetary atmospheres, we adopt the “Best Theory + Reliable High-resolution Experiment” algorithm to generate semiempirical IR line lists for the 20 most abundant CS 2 isotopologues, denoted as Ames-296K. The IR lists are computed using the Ames-1 potential energy surface, refined using the experimental transition set and an ab initio dipole moment surface fitted from CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV(T/Q/5+d)Z dipoles extrapolated to a one-particle basis set limit. The IR lists cover the range of 0–10,000 cm -1 , with an S 296K cutoff at 10 -31 cm -1 /molecule·cm -2 (abundance included). A “natural” IR line list at 296 K includes about 10 million lines of the 20 isotopologues, with their intensities scaled by the corresponding abundances. The zero-point energy, partition functions, and abundances are reported for each isotopologue. The energy levels in the global effective Hamiltonian model for 12 C 32 S 2 are adopted to improve the line position accuracy. This new IR list for the main isotopologue is denoted as A+I.296K. Reliable HITRAN2020 line positions are also utilized to improve the accuracy of the 32 S 12 C 34 S, 32 S 12 C 33 S, and 32 S 13 C 32 S isotopologue line lists. The final composite line list is validated against Pacific Northwest National Laboratory experimental cross sections, showing excellent agreement. The agreement supports the quality of the composite line list and the power of synergy between experiment and theory. The new data are proposed for use in updating and expanding the CS 2 data in HITRAN and other high-resolution IR databases. Supplementary files are available in Zenodo and AHED.

Exoplanet atmospheric composition↗