Communication: Equivalence between symmetric and antisymmetric stretching modes of NH3 in promoting H + NH3 → H2 + NH2 reaction

Vibrational excitations of reactants sometimes promote reactions more effectively than the same amount of translational energy. Such mode specificity provides insights into the transition-state modulation of reactivity and might be used to control chemical reactions. We report here a state-of-the-art full-dimensional quantum dynamical study of the hydrogen abstraction reaction H + NH3 -> H-2 + NH2 on an accurate ab initio based global potential energy surface. This reaction serves as an ideal candidate to study the relative efficacies of symmetric and degenerate antisymmetric stretching modes. Strong mode specificity, particularly for the NH3 stretching modes, is demonstrated. It is further shown that nearly identical efficacies of the symmetric and antisymmetric stretching modes of NH3 in promoting the reaction can be understood in terms of local-mode stretching vibrations of the reactant molecule. Published by AIP Publishing.