Thermal decomposition of formic acid in the gas phase: bimolecular and H2O catalysed reactions
The thermal decomposition of formic acid in the gas phase by a bimolecular self-reaction and by two H 2 O catalysed processes has been investigated by ab initio molecular orbital calculations using a modified Gaussian 2 (G2M) method, which has been tested for the present system with calculations for...
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Published in | Molecular physics Vol. 92; no. 3; pp. 581 - 586 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Taylor & Francis Group
01.10.1997
|
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The thermal decomposition of formic acid in the gas phase by a bimolecular self-reaction and by two H
2
O catalysed processes has been investigated by ab initio molecular orbital calculations using a modified Gaussian 2 (G2M) method, which has been tested for the present system with calculations for the geometry and stability of the dimer, (HCOOH)
2
, formed by the hydrogen bonding of two Z conformers. The dissociation energy for the dimer was calculated to be 13·9 kcalmol, which agrees closely with the experimental values, 12-15 kcal mol
-1
, and the result of a high-level ab initio calculation. The energy barrier for the self-reaction involving two Z conformers via transition state 1, producing 2H
2
O + 2CO, was found to be 67·9 kcal mol
-1
. The value is much greater than those for the H
2
catalysed decomposition of the Z conformer via transition state 2, producing H
2
O + CO + H
2
O, 48·2 kcal mol
-1
, and the H
2
O catalysed decomposition of the E conformer via transition state 3, producing H
2
+ CO
2
+ H
2
O, 44·2 kcal mol
-1
. Thermal rate constants for these processes, covering the 200-1000K temperature range, have been calculated with and without tunnelling corrections. |
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ISSN: | 0026-8976 1362-3028 |
DOI: | 10.1080/002689797170329 |