Computational Study on the Kinetics and Mechanisms of Unimolecular Reactions of (Z)-(Z)-N-(λ5-phosphanylidene) Formohydrazonic Formic Anhydride: Intramolecular aza-Wittig Reaction in Competition with Mumm Rearrangement

For (Z)-(Z)-N-(λ5-phosphanylidene) formohydrazonic formic anhydride, Aza-Wittig reaction and Mumm rearrangement are studied using both density functional and coupled cluster theories. For this purpose, two different products starting from one substrate are considered that are competing with each other. The obtained products, P1 and P2, are thermodynamically favorable. The product of the aza-Wittig reaction, P1, is more stable than the product of Mumm rearrangement (P2). For the mentioned products, just one reliable pathway is separately proposed based on unimolecular reaction. Therefore, the rate constants based on RRKM theory in 300-600 K temperature range are calculated. Results show that the P1 generation pathway is a suitable path due to low energy barriers than the path P2. The first path has three steps with three transition states, TS1, TS2, and TS3. The P2 production path is a single-step reaction. In CCSD level, the computed barrier energies are 14.55, 2.196, and 10.67 kcal/mol for Aza-Wittig reaction and 42.41 kcal/mol for Mumm rearrangement in comparison with the corresponding complexes or reactants. For final products, the results of the computational study are in a good agreement with experimental predictions.

Binding of a viral IRES to the 40S subunit occurs in two successive steps mediated by eS25

The mechanism for how internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs) recruit ribosomes to initiate translation of an mRNA is not completely understood. We investigated how a 40S subunit was recruited by the cricket paralysis virus intergenic region (CrPV IGR) IRES to form a stable 40S–IRES complex. Kinetic binding studies revealed that formation of the complex between the CrPV IGR and the 40S subunit consisted of two-steps: an initial fast binding step of the IRES to the 40S ribosomal subunit, followed by a slow unimolecular reaction consistent with a conformational change that stabilized the complex. We further showed that the ribosomal protein S25 (eS25), which is required by functionally and structurally diverse IRESs, impacts both steps of the complex formation. Mutations in eS25 that reduced CrPV IGR IRES activity either decreased 40S–IRES complex formation, or increased the rate of the conformational change that was required to form a stable 40S–IRES complex. Our data are consistent with a model in which eS25 facilitates initial binding of the CrPV IGR IRES to the 40S while ensuring that the conformational change stabilizing the 40S–IRES complex does not occur prematurely.

Double Bonds are Key to Fast Unimolecular Reactivity in First Generation Monoterpene Hydroxy Peroxy Radicals

<p>Monoterpenes are a group of volatile organic compounds that are emitted to the atmosphere in large amounts by natural sources. Some monoterpenes such as limonene and Δ<sup>3</sup>-carene are also widely used as additives in detergents and perfumes, and thus have a potential impact on indoor air quality and human health.</p><p>The volatile organic compounds like monoterpenes may undergo a series of autoxidation processes in the atmosphere to form highly oxygenated compounds, which have been linked to the formation of secondary organic aerosols. For this process to occur, the unimolecular reactions of the peroxy radicals formed during oxidation must have rate coefficients comparable to or greater than those of the competing bimolecular reactions with HO<sub>2</sub>, NO or other RO<sub>2</sub> radicals.</p><p>We studied the hydrogen shift (H-shift) and the cyclization reactions of all 45 hydroxy peroxy radicals formed by hydroxyl radical (OH) and O<sub>2</sub> addition to six monoterpenes (α-pinene, β-pinene, Δ<sup>3</sup>-carene, camphene, limonene and terpinolene). The reaction rate coefficients of the possible unimolecular reaction were initially studied at a lower level of theory. Those deemed likely to be atmospherically competitive were then calculated using the multi-conformer transition states theory approach developed by Møller et al. (J. Phys. Chem. A, 120, 51, 10072-10087, 2016). This approach has been shown to agree with the experimental values to within a factor of 4 for other systems.</p><p>It was found that double bonds are key to fast unimolecular reactions in the first-generation monoterpene hydroxy peroxy radicals. The H-shift reactions abstracting a hydrogen from a carbon adjacent to a double bond are found to typically be fast enough to compete with the bimolecular reactions, likely due to the resonance stability of the nascent allylic radical. The reactivity of the cyclization reaction between the carbon-carbon double bonds and the peroxy group, which forms an endoperoxide ring, is high as well. The H-shifts abstracting the hydrogen from the hydroxy group may be competitive in some cases but the reaction rate coefficients for these reactions are more uncertain. Generally, the cyclization reaction and the allylic H-shift reactions are the dominant reaction paths for the studied peroxyl radicals. Since the OH radical addition consumes one double bond, we suggest that the monoterpenes with more than one double bond in their structure are likely to have unimolecular reactions that can be important for the first-generation monoterpene peroxy radicals. On the other hand, the ones with only one double bond initially are not likely to have fast unimolecular reactions that can compete with the bimolecular reactions under the atmospheric condition, unless a double bond can be formed during their oxidation process as found for α-pinene and β-pinene. This result greatly limits the amount of potentially important unimolecular reaction paths in atmospheric monoterpene oxidation.</p>

Hydrolysis of ketene catalysed by nitric acid and water in the atmosphere

Environmental contextThe detailed mechanism of hydrolysis of gas-phase ketene to form acetic acid is critical for understanding the formation of certain atmospheric contaminants. This study explores the effect of nitric acid and water on the hydrolysis of ketene in the atmosphere. The calculated results show that nitric acid is an effective catalyst in the hydrolysis of ketene to form acetic acid in atmospheric water-restricted environments. AbstractThe gas-phase hydrolysis of ketene and the unimolecular reaction of 1,1-enediol catalysed by nitric acid and water have been investigated using quantum chemical methods and conventional transition state theory with Eckart tunnelling. The theoretical calculation results show that nitric acid exerts a strong catalytic effect on the hydrolysis of ketene in the gas-phase. The calculated energy barrier for the direct reaction mechanistic pathway is reduced from 42.10kcal mol−1 in the reaction of ketene with water to 3.40kcal mol−1 in the reaction of ketene with water catalysed by HNO3. The catalytic ability of nitric acid is further proven in the hydrogen shift reaction of 1,1-enediol because the energy barrier of the unimolecular reaction of 1,1-enediol is decreased from 44.92kcal mol−1 to −4.51kcal mol−1. In addition, the calculated results indicate that there is competition between the direct and indirect mechanistic pathways with the increase of additional water molecules in the reaction of ketene with water catalysed by HNO3 and (H2O)n (n=1, 2). The calculated kinetics results show that the CH2=C=O+H2O+HNO3 reaction is significant in the gas phase of the atmosphere and the other reactions are negligible owing to the slow reaction rates. However, compared with the CH2=C=O+OH reaction, the CH2=C=O+H2O+HNO3 reaction is very slow and cannot compete with the CH2=C=O+OH reaction. CH2=C=O+OH is the main elimination pathway of ketene in the gas phase of the atmosphere. Our findings reveal that acetic acid may be formed through the hydrolysis of ketene in atmospheric water-restricted environments of the surfaces of aqueous, aerosol and cloud droplets.