Theoretical study on hydrogen abstraction reactions from pentane isomers by NO2

The rate constants for the H-abstraction reactions of C5H12 + NO2 are calculated by high-accuracy electronic structure calculations and transition state theory (TST). The investigation includes three pentane isomers, neopentane, n-pentane, and iso-pentane, each of which leads to the formation of three different HONO isomers, namely cis-HONO, trans-HONO, and HNO2. The lowest energy conformers of all relevant species are determined through geometry optimization, frequency analysis, and one-dimensional hindered rotor scanning at the M062X/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory, and are further re-optimized using the B2PLYP-D3/cc-pVTZ method. The single point energies of all the reactants, products, and transition states are obtained at the DLPNO-CCSD(T)/CBS level of theory. Traditional transition state theory was employed to derive the rate constants, which were then fitted to obtain the kinetic parameters in the Arrhenius expression. Simulation results show improved performance in ignition delay times and oxidation species prediction, when the calculated reaction rate constants are implemented in the literature n-pentane kinetic models. The results offer enhanced comprehension of the chemistry of C5H12 + NO2, and will aid in the understanding of the mutual reactions of large hydrocarbon fuels and NOx.

Automated summary

The rate constants for the H-abstraction reactions of C5H12 + NO2 were calculated using high-accuracy electronic structure calculations and transition state theory. The results indicate that implementing these reaction rate constants can improve the predictive performance of kinetic models and enhance the understanding of the mutual reactions between large hydrocarbon fuels and NOx.